Linger
by BlueSun91
Summary: Virginia always secretly wonders why Jet is the way he is. Silent, touchy, and stubborn. But their next adventures may give her an answer and a lot more than she expected. JetxVirginia. Rating May Change. CHAPTER 10 UPDATED.
1. Just Another Day

**Yay! My second Wild ARMS fic…well story anyways. If you read my poem 'Drifting Emotion' and liked it then please enjoy this. That poem is something like a prologue to a long awaited story. I know what you're thinking 'Another Jet x Virginia fic! Ugh!' I'll try to make it as original as I can! Who doesn't like the innocent ranch girl and stubborn android love story! –lol- Please enjoy and let me know what you think: D MIGHT CONTAIN SPOILERS!!! Takes place _during_ the game. **

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**_Linger _**

_By BlueSun91 _

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**_Chapter 1 _**

_Just Another Day_

Virginia Maxwell, an ordinary ranch girl from Boot Hill, had taken a life changing adventure to become a drifter. And she got a lot more than she bargained for, but hasn't complained once. Why would she when she had three faithful companions to keep her spirits high? Well, _two_ anyways. Jet was an…exception.

Jet Enduro, a haughty, self-centered android, was no doubt what we would call the eighth world wonder. He insisted that he was still a part of there group pity, but who knows?

It was another burning summer afternoon in Humphrey's Peak, but what day wasn't scorching in a wasteland like Filgaia? Clive's vaguely air conditioned house was enough to keep them from dying of a heat stroke. Although people of Filgaia had steadily become acclimated to the heat every since the planets decay and the wasteland appeared, the searing heat was unbearable at times.

Gallows was collapsed on the couch, mumbling something to himself. Clive had left earlier that day to find evidence on Beatrice, leaving the others to relax. Jet was leaning against the wall by the door, arms crossed and eyes closed, but still managing this usual conceited expression on his handsome face. And Virginia was sitting in an arm chair, with a small book in her hands while Kaitlin sat in her lap listening to her read.

The group had been mission free for sometime now; no sign of Maya and Beatrice had disappeared. As serene as things were lately, they couldn't be more bored.

"This is so boring!" Gallows chided, sitting up and sighing tediously. "Isn't there some monster attacking a village somewhere?!"

"Gallows, that's mean" Virginia protested, closing the book and glaring at him. "You mean you want someone to get hurt, just to keep you from getting bored?!"

"Alright alright, relax, I was jokin'" Gallows replied, standing and stalking towards the window. "Then what do we do then?"

From where he was propped against the wall, Jet heaved an annoyed sigh.

"What's your problem?" Gallows chided, glaring at the android.

"What are you talking about?" Jet replied with a furrowed brow. "I didn't say anything"

"That's just it! You never say anything! You always have to be the tough guy!" Gallows growled reproachfully, pointing an accusing finger in Jet's face. "Well, here's a reality check, tough guy, no ones impressed!"

Virginia rolled her eyes and closed her book. "Oh, here we go again"

Kaitlin giggled as the two started to exchange raged verbal blows. The girl glanced at Virginia with an amused grin. "Do they fight like that a lot?"

"Yeah" Virginia replied, noticing that the two were getting out of hand. "Uh, Kaitlin, why don't you go in the kitchen with your mom?"

"Okay!" Kaitlin cooed, jumping from the chair and sauntering into the kitchen, still laughing.

"You are such a pain in the ass, you damn kid!" Gallows remarked with anger, holding his fist in the air.

"Look whose talking, big mouth!" Jet chided a little less strident than Gallows, but just as equally livid. "Do you ever shut up?!"

Virginia had gotten used to this constant arguing and shouting for awhile, perhaps because she even participated in plenty arguments, mostly with Jet. The only one who seemed to keep composure and resist killing his companions was Clive. But the have a group of four people and only one being a female, it would only expected that frustration with each other. Especially when each person had very different personalities and a different outlook on things, so fighting was typical.

"Guys, stop fighting" Virginia insisted, standing. "Do you even know why you started fighting?"

Gallows lowered his hand and stared at their leader. Jet did the same until he realized he was gaping at her smiling face and looked way, concealing a slight blush. That had been happening a lot lately and every time he scolded himself. But in reality, he wasn't angry with himself about blushing; he scolded himself because he didn't know why he blushed whenever she smiled. Needless to say, he wasn't content about it.

"Just stop shouting or go outside" Virginia suggested or rather ordered. She was close to bursting out in laughter that the two had bickered without a reason. "There are other people in here, you know?"

After a second and without a retort they finally said in unison. "Whatever"

Gallows stalked back to the couch after getting up pointlessly to argue with Jet. And the android himself returned to his usual stance by propping himself against the wall. Virginia was about to sit down again when Clive entered through the door.

"Great, you're back!" Gallows bellowed sitting up again. "What'd you find?"

"Not much" Clive replied sitting on the couch next to Gallows. "No one has seen hide nor head of Beatrice, which isn't surprising"

Virginia heaved an exasperated sigh. "Well, we'll keep trying. Maybe Humphrey's Peak isn't the best place to get information. What else did you find?"

"Well, I heard of a quite valuable diamond from one of the townspeople. It's located in gemstone cave, just north-west from here" Clive explained, adjusting his glasses"

Virginia nodded in approval. "Well, it would give us something to do"

"And diamonds are worth a hefty sum" Jet added with a smirk. Normally whenever he spoke it was about gella if anything.

"But that's strange, don't you think?" Virginia remarked, tilting her head. "We've been to Gemstone cave before and never found anything like that, who else found it and why don't they have it?"

"That's the thing. The person I got this information from was on a expedition to Gemstone cave. He was with a partner, but unfortunately his partner was lost within the caves and hasn't been found since. He was injured and is unable to go in himself to find his lost colleague"

"So he wants us to find this guy" Gallows concluded, nodding.

"And in exchange, we get the diamond" Clive said, smiling. "As long as we're doing nothing, why not take this job?"

"Sounds good to me" Gallows laughed, leaning back against the sofa.

"Alright, let's do it!" Virginia chimed, clapping her hands together. She looked over at Jet with a cynical expression. "I'm guessing that you don't mind coming, huh?"

Considering this as mockery, Jet gave her a chided glare.

Her critical expression softened as she giggled at his contempt. "I'm just kidding, Jet, don't get so mad"

As he did usually, Jet was left without a reply and settled with his usual response. "Whatever"

Just then, Cathrine and Kaitlin appeared from the kitchen. Cathrine was very calm and conservative like her husband; it was a wonder where Kaitlin got her energetic personality from.

"Glad to see everyone here" Cathrine said in her soft voice. "I hope everyone is hungry. Dinner is almost done"

"Thanks ma'am!" Gallows laughed graciously.

"Then it's decided" Clive concluded, standing. "We'll leave for Gemstone caves in the morning. So eat and rest up"

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Lying in her bed that night, Virginia found herself unable to sleep. The thought of a person being stranded and alone deep in the dark confines Gemstone caves haunted her. The must be frightened, if their even alive. One thing made her wonder; Clive mentioned that the explorer that got out was injured, which meant something happened to him. Hopefully, it wasn't serious.

What must it be like to be alone? The question came to her a lot when she was alone to think. And there was one person, or thing, that came to mind.

Jet

Of course he wasn't alone all his life. He had the scientist that created him and even her father. But he didn't have the luxury having the memories of his past to enjoy. He only had the present, which didn't seem to be going to well, considering he had a glare that could freeze the surface of the sun, but had a face that would make a super model cry.

Virginia squeezed her pillow to her chest and sighed, giving up on trying to sleep. Releasing the pillow from her tight grip, she pushed the blankets off of her as she pulled herself out of the bed. She walked toward the window and peered out at the night sky. Since her room faced away from the town and the bright lights, it was easy to see the tiniest stair in the great expansion above.

Placing her elbows on the window sill, Virginia let her mind drift away again as she did whenever she couldn't sleep.

She wanted to help him get his memories back, but that would require hunting down her father, Werner Maxwell, who proved to be a very difficult person to track. But Jet seemed to not really want to know what this past was like, although he also seemed to be the type who spoke the opposite of what he wanted. Virginia didn't care what he wanted, no one should live without memories; it was like living without an arm or a leg.

Jet was something totally unfathomable; How says he hate her, but has saved her in battle plenty of times, how he almost never speak, but always has something to say, and how he says he would leave and never does. And she didn't want him to leave, but how long would he linger…?

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**Okay, plz tell me what you think! I'm srry, the chapters aren't usually that short. I hope you enjoyed anyways! Plz Read and Review: D This chappie was a little tedious, but the first chapter always a pain cuz you have to explain the setting and all that! –lol- **

**I gave Virginia her own room instead of her sharing it like in the game, cuz I always thought it was incredibly wrong for a woman to share a room with three men. That's a little out of whack. –lol- BYE! R&R **


	2. Into Gemstone Cave

**Sorry for the long wait! I wanted to finish up a climax in my other fic, but I didn't forget my newest fic! WOOT! Thank you for my first reviewers; Teefa and Co., LadyAeris1997 (Wild Fantasy), AngelofMercy86, and Wolf of Light! You guys R awesome! Anyways, here's chapter 2! ENJOY! ; p **

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**_Chapter 2 _**

_**Into Gemstone Cave**_

"So where are we going again?" Gallows asked before yawning loudly and leaning over his horse's neck.

"To Gemstone Cave" Clive replied, giving him a side-long glance.

It was noon by then, and the team had been traveling on horse-back since sunrise. It was another scorching humid day and the occasional small sand gusts, made their faces sting. Going from Humphrey's Peak to Gemstone Cave wasn't the farthest they had ever traveled, but it was still a boiling and boring ride. But their purpose was urgent and they would stick to it.

They still had a few miles until they reached the cool atmosphere of the cave. Every now and then they would pause under the overcastting shadows of the cliffs that rose from the ground.

"So what do you think happened in Gemstone Cave?" Gallows said trying to break the irritating silence as they inched closer to their destination. "I mean these two guys were partners, I don't think this guy would just leave his injured friend there alone"

"Maybe he went for help, but was too injured himself to go back" Virginia suggested, avoiding the worst possibility. "I just hope he's okay in that cave"

"Probably starving" Clive added. Luckily, they had packed extra rations just for that occasion. "Well, make sure your ARM's are loaded just in case"

Soon, they familiar view came into site; two cliffs rose from the sand ocean attached to a small narrow isle. Between the island and them was a crevice the size of an average body length.

They have crossed these large fissures before, but the one to Gemstone Cave was the largest they'd ever face. And they only crossed it a few times before. It was hard to imagine how deep they went; many thought they went to the very core of the planet, but that was unlikely. But still, if you fell down it, your fate was sealed, because you weren't getting out.

"I'll go first" Gallows said, backing his Ebony stallion further away from the crack. Taking a deep breath, Gallows kicked his horse hard in its flank, sending it racing towards the crevice with a loud whiney. It leapt, high in the air over the fissure, landing perfectly on the other side. The horse flicked its ears in confusion as Gallows looked back at his companions. "C'mon!" He bided them with a wave.

Clive followed, using the same method he also landed perfectly on the other side.

"You go" Jet murmured, glancing momentarily at his leader. She nodded and headed towards the crevice at a slow pace first gradually gaining speed in increments. This method of crossing wasn't as efficient and the horses were prone to spook this way, Jet noticed this.

With the highest confidence, Virginia neared the point to jump, her horse at top speed. But her white mare, unlike the others, noticed the obstacle before it. And was intent on stopping. Jet noticed the horse pressing its hooves to the earth trying to stop, but its rider kept it moving fast, too fast. Virginia was unaware that her horse wasn't going to cross and leaned forward in her saddle, preparing to jump.

Jet felt a fearful sensation run down his spine. She wouldn't make it. She was leaning to far forward and if the horse stopped instantly, the force would knock her clean over the horse neck inevitably falling to her death or being crushed by the horse. Either way she would lose if he didn't help. He was cold and abrasive, but he would never let her die.

"Virginia!" He cried, kicking his own brown horse in the flank. It bucked at first before galloping towards Virginia, who didn't hear her name and was closing in on her death.

Virginia's horse was hasty, but not as quick as his own. A few moments later he had reached the mare's rear, which had reached the crevice. And in split second the mare stopped on a dime, the force of the speed made it lean far forward over the dark fissure. As he expected she fell forward, screaming. In an act of urgency, Jet reached out and grasped a tight grip on her arm as he halted his own horse, making the anxious horse rear and knock him and Virginia off as well.

Holding her still, Jet fell to the hard sandy ground as Virginia fell on top of him, bashing her head onto his stone hard shoulder. Both horses neighed loudly, backing quickly away from the crevice and galloping a few yard away.

Sitting up, Jet noticed Clive and Gallows already standing on the other side of the fissure with incredulous expressions on their faces. Then he realized, his leader was limp and unconscious in his arms which made him flustered nonetheless. Gently, laying her on the ground he gazed at her angelic, passive face. Her eyes were lightly closed and she seemed to be sleeping. She was so…

"Jet!" Gallows cried frantically. Jet glanced at him. "Is she okay?"

"Er…" Perplexed, Jet wished Clive or Gallows was still on that side of the fissure, but he was alone with his unconscious leader. Grasping her shoulders, he shook her lightly as her said her name a few times. Eventually he heard her make a quiet noise that she was coming to. Her eyes flutter open as if she had awakened from a deep sleep until she noticed him staring with an unusually concerned expression. She sat up as he instinctively backed away.

"What happened?" She asked until it flooded back to her. "I remember being on the horse and then suddenly stopping. I felt a hand on my arm and then…"

She then glanced up at Jet, who lost his concerned look. "Did you save me, Jet?"

He didn't reply. Instead, Gallows and Clive chimed in for him.

"Hell yeah! Ginny, you'd be dead now if it weren't for him!" Gallows shouted, laughing. "Way to go, spiky!"

"Yes, I don't think you'd be here if it weren't for Jet" Clive added, pushing on his glasses.

Turning from them back to their stoic android, Virginia laughed and stood up. "Thank you so much!" She cooed, giving him a surprise embrace, feeling him tense up in her arms which made her laugh more. When she backed away, he was frozen where he stood. A moment later, he shook his head and looked away, adding his usual, nonchalant "Whatever" and went to capture his horse.

Following to capture her own horse, Virginia watched him stalk forward before her. He may never say "You're welcome" But she was grateful to have him there. What would happen if he wasn't there? Where would she be? Crumbled at the bottom of that black crevice probably.

Minutes later, they'd captured the horses and were successful in crossing the fissure with the incident left behind.

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The inside of the cave was cool and serene, a pleasant change from the blistering heat. The walls were aligned with immaculate illuminated crystals that lit up the narrow cavern paths. It appeared to be quite tranquil, with no sign of danger.

"Alright, where should we start?" Clive asked, looking down the various paths.

"There're a lot of paths in here" Gallows explained, rubbing his head and sighing in exasperation. "We should split up in two's"

"Good idea" Virginia agreed, nodding. "He shouldn't be too far into the caves"

"Gallows and I will go this way" Clive said, gesturing to a crumbled wall off to the side. "Virginia, you and Jet go down the main route"

Virginia glanced at her partner, who scowled and looked away. "Sounds good to us" She chimed, taking Jet's casual silence as compliance. With that, the two groups went their ways.

A few minutes later, Virginia trekked down the down the long narrowed crystal lined paths while Jet stalked dubiously in front of her. He appeared to be in his own undisturbed reverie. It was difficult—or rather impossible to understand or to even guess what he was thinking. She was tempted to ask, but thought better of it as she would probably get a conceited reply.

Instead they walked in irksome silence until they came upon a disturbing scene.

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"These caves are like friggin' mazes!" Gallows chided, throwing his hands in the air as they continued to stride on. They were about fifteen minutes in and still couldn't hear any cries for assistance.

"I'm beginning to get concerned that we may not find anything" Clive said in the midst of Gallows complaining. "We haven't found any sign of a disturbance…Gallows?" Clive paused when he noticed Gallows absence next to him. He turned and found Gallows frozen in his steps, staring far ahead of them. Clive, who had been watching the ground for footprints, glanced towards the path ahead and was stunned by what he saw.

A colossal black hole was drilled into the ground that made further travel impassable. The gaping hole was more than nine feet from one end to the other. Something massive, something dangerous, something able to burrow through solid rock and dirt was the culprit; a looming culprit that was possibly in their very wake.

"Whoa…" was Gallows only scrawny word to express his shock. "I think…We found a sign"

Just then, there was a loud, bloodcurdling scream from the direction in which they came. It was a high pitched voiced scream; a familiar cry. It was their leader.

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**Oooooh, cliffie! XD It's not the best chappie I've ever written, but I'm leaving tomorrow and I wanted to get this in for you guys before then! Plz R&R! **


	3. Unrequited Failures

**omg I am so srry for the wait. I hope I haven't been completely abandoned because of my terrible slacking n.n; Here's chapter 4!! **

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_**Chapter 3 **_

_**Unrequited Failures**_

Virginia scrambled a few steps a way, turning and feeling the need to vomit. Her scream had resounded to every corner of the caves and it was likely that Clive and Gallows had heard, but she feared something else had heard as well…

Jet glanced between his sickened leader and the gruesome sight they had come upon; a man, or what was left of him, was propped up a against the cave wall. Both of his legs were severed and missing; spreading crimson blood into the light of the glowing crystals. A distinguished gnash spreading the full length of his arm, expelling more blood. His clothes were tattered and his face was cut and bruised to the point where he was unrecognized. Amazingly, he still breathed, but probably for only a little longer.

Whatever happened to him, happened only a few minutes before they arrived. The anguish of the man's severed limbs and terribly cut body had faded into numbness by now.

Sighing, Jet shook his head. _'Great. Wait 'til we have to explain this one' _He finally turned to Virginia, who was rubbing her arms. Comforting someone definitely wasn't a skill he had acquired, but having their leader lose her wits over the sight wasn't getting them anywhere.

"Are you…okay?" Jet forced himself to say. Virginia paused her convulsive breathing and turned to him slowly, avoiding eye contact with the bloody mess behind him. Her face scrunched up with disbelief.

"Are you kidding?" She scowled at him as she spoke.

Jet stood back, his slight concern returning to evident smugness. "Fine, then get your ass up and stop crying" His tone was half-interested and unfeeling although Virginia would probably pull her ARM on him one day.

Virginia scowled and frowned at him, but she wouldn't quarrel with him at this juncture. Their discrepancies rarely had an end. As she stood to her feet, the injured man began to hack. His half-conscious mind realizing there were others present.

Jet seemed a little more interested, but his angry expression remained unchanged. Virginia reluctantly approached the man, bending slowly at the waist. Wide-eyed and attempting to remain ordinary through her spontaneous revulsion she asked, "Can you hear me?"

She heard Jet make an apathetic "Tch" sound as he propped himself against the wall of the cave.

She glared over her shoulder, but shook his disrespect off when she finally heard the wounded man speak. His voice was somewhat slurred as he attempted to warn them with urgency, "Get…out"

"Why? What happened to you?"

"Get…out before—" He was interrupted by a series of coughs and hacks, "it's too…late…"

His warning was blunt and he would die before any other worthy information could be given. Finally, Clive and Gallows had arrived in deep breaths. Laying eyes on the dying man propped against the wall they both formed disgruntled expressions on their faces.

"Whoa, what happened?" Gallows asked, slapping his forehead in defeat. "I hope that's not the guy we came all this way for…"

"Who else?" Jet replied smugly, his eyes closed with disinterest.

"Shut up, you damned little—" Gallows scoffed, shaking a fist before he was promptly interrupted. The ground beneath their feet quivered, gravel from the cave ceiling crumbling and clamored to the ground. Suddenly the seemingly steady rock layer above Virginia's head fractured and collapsed. The impact of the massive rocks onto the cave floor sent her falling backwards onto her back.

Jet was standing over her, but his gaze was focused elsewhere. The ceiling was nothing more than a black gaping fissure like the one Clive and Gallows had discovered earlier. But from within, unearthly shrieks bellowed from whatever caused the cave in.

Virginia stood, brushing herself off as she peered upon the crumbled rock. The man, most likely the man they were searching for, was undoubtedly dead under the thick layer of stone. She sighed, hanging her head in defeat before staring at the wide gap in the ceiling. It was too dark to see all the way through, but whatever was making the din, it wasn't far.

"We need to leave" Clive announced, exchanging glances with everyone. "Whatever did this, I'm sure we won't be very welcomed"

Virginia kept her hand on one of her ARMs, Rapier Ez, and her favorite of the two. Feeling the barrel with her other hand as she listened, the cool steel was encouraging and then gliding her fingers along the sleek side until reaching the rigid surface of the Grip. Her finger curling around the trigger, she said, "We can't go, what will happen if we just leave? More people will be hurt, right?"

She received no reply as she expected, she turned her head towards Clive who appeared to be deep in thought. His leather gloved hand tightened around the Gungnir's barrel creating a faint squeaking sound. Gallows scratched his neck with his ARM, distantly scowling at the ceiling.

Jet stood to the side, unexpressive and stern as grasped his ARM from over his shoulder. When he noticed her stare, he impulsively averted away, narrowing his unique but bitter eyes on a fractured crystal.

Peering from the gaping crevice in the ceiling, a red needle-like limb poked away at the ceiling, bits of gravel broke and fell to the ground. Soon after, several more needle-like legs crept from gap. The shrieking and cackling softened as the creature within aloud the piercing limbs dance along the ceiling in search of any intruders.

Naturally, Virginia fumbled backwards now with both ARM's in hand. Her comrades close behind her, attentive and prepared as the meandering limbs flounced to and fro. Now the rest of the creature emerged, revealing a sleek scaly body. The red needle-like limb squirmed from where they were attached to it's neck seeming like bladed whiskers. With a head resembling a lion and the body of a snake, the monster serpentined down the walls and coiled tightly around a protruding crystal boulder. In length it stretched approximately thirteen feet and its girth was long and slender.

It had short forearms, the claws scraping the crystal in a faint screech. The fiend heaved a horrendous shrieking cry, its jaws widening nearly a foot all the way around and revealing rows of hooked fangs. Its eyes widened a gruesome yellow and slitted.

"Damn, that thing is ugly" Gallows pointed out, raising his ARM towards the monster. It wasn't phased as it stretched its neck out, a slimy black tongue snaking through the air and retracting again.

Virginia stood back, squeezing both her ARMS now, prepared for the hostile fiend to take action. She felt a fearful sensation charge throughout her body, she felt the Guardians tremble in the midst of the monsters rage. "The Guardians are wary" She spoke softly.

Abruptly, it lunged in a heart-rending scream. The three inch claws stretched forth towards Virginia, instead it forced sideways receiving a bullet to the temple from Clive. The group scattered, the spiraling tail swerved to and fro at their feet threatening to trip them as it thrashed and collided with the walls, crumbling the already unsteady stone.

One wrong motion and Gallows was crushed into the wall, cracking several ribs. Freed as the tail thrashed about, he inclined his stomach and clutching the aching ribs. Virginia appeared at his aid, kneeling as she shot blindly in a trigger happy notion.

Jet and Clive remained vigilant, firing as many projectiles as they could before the monster regained its hostile composure. Balancing its heavy weight on its tail, it slashed he needles expanding from its neck towards Jet. Dodging with great precision, he captured one of the many piercing whisker in his grip and as the creature thrashed, the whisker detached.

Blood spattered onto the stone floor as the serpent cried out in agony. It flailed in anguish before throwing its weight into the wall behind it. The rock fractured and began to collapse.

Virginia was aiding Gallows quickly towards the path they had come, seeking the exit. She turned back as damaged rock finally could tolerate any more damage and finally began to give way. Jet and Clive rushed back down the path behind Virginia and Gallows. The heavy rock crumbled and crushed the serpent as it howled one final cry.

Now the collapsing stone threatened to bury them alive as it followed down the tunnel. Colossal boulders crashed into the ground, sending reverberating vibrations trough the earth causing ear-shattering crashes.

Gallows feel to one knee as they bypassed the entrance and met the light of the sun. As the group regained their breath, they could hear to cave collapsing under the unsteady pressure. The entrance became barricaded by dark stone; the cave was now condemned from any future exploration.

Kneeling by Gallows, Clive set his ARM aside and examined the injured ribs. Shaking his head, he came to a definite conclusion. "There are several broken"

"Don't worry about it, I'm fine" Gallows replied, struggling to stand and discovering it harder then he had expected. Virginia rubbed her arms with uncertainty as she watched the ground at her feet.

A few feet away, a certain silent android observed her expression. As the leader, failing a supposedly simple mission was a great mishap. And he knew her thoughts; she held herself responsible for the death of the man in the cave.

Noticing blood trickle from a minor cut on her cheek, Jet removed one his scarves. Choosing the red one only because the blood wouldn't be noticeable, he held it towards her while looking the other direction.

Virginia quirked a fine brow, taking the somewhat shredded scarf.

"You're bleeding" Jet remarked, glancing towards her for a moment and gesturing towards his own cheek with his index finger. Virginia dabbed her fingers onto her cheek and felt a minor pang of pain from the cut.

"Oh, Thank you" She replied softly with a wide smile as she placed the scarf to her cheek. She turned away now, shaking her head at Gallows who was promptly trying to mount his horse; failing unconditionally.

Jet watched her walk leisurely away, a calm breeze bushing her dress into the gentle flow of the wind.

0—0—0

By nightfall, the group returned to the familiar town of Humphrey's Peak, an anxious sensation in their guts. The few court lights of the town glowed dimly as the residents slept soundly in the darkened homes. Clive's home was still awake; the bright light of the lamps from within emanated a welcoming greeting through the curtains.

Catherine must have been watching from the window, because she came quickly from the house before the group had entered the courtyard. She embraced Clive before withdrawing to exchange alarmed glances with everyone.

"A cave collapse was reported. I could hear it from here; it came from the direction of Gemstone Cave. Is everyone alright?" She inquired, examining the small cut on Virginia's cheek.

"Yes, I'm fine" Virginia replied with a smile, but gestured towards Gallows, who was leaning on an irritated Jet for support whether the hot-headed android wanted him to or not.

Catherine went to his aid, gently pressing her fingers against his fracture ribs, making him cringe. "Yes, they are indeed broken" She turned towards the house but abruptly turned towards Virginia, "A few hours after the cave was reported collapsed, a man came by. He said he was the one who sent you on the trip to the cave"

"Yes…we have some…news for him" Virginia fretted, hanging her head.

"I'm afraid he is not in town any longer" Catherine announced, clasping her hands, "He told me to let you know that he had to leave for an urgent reason. He wouldn't mention why, but he left a bag of Gella; that is all" She held out a frayed bag that was filled to the brim and Virginia took it reluctantly.

Catherine assisted the injured drifter into the house while the remaining three loitered outside. Virginia enlaced her fingers as looked upon each nearby house and then exchanged glances with Clive and Jet.

"That seems peculiar" Clive pointed out first, balancing his glasses, "I wonder why he would leave without knowing where his colleague was still alive or not"

"If he left when the cave collapsed then he long gone by now" Virginia said in a small voice, turning the bag in her hand. "How can we accept this?"

Jet crossed the courtyard towards the bridge that overlooked a waterless channel. Leaning his elbows over the edge, he coiled the red tattered scarf that Virginia had recently returned to him, around one arm. Virginia and Clive exchanged baffled glances.

Clive turned towards his house, looking at her from over his shoulder. "I suppose he wanted us to have it, we did try our hardest" He pointed out, "Don't feel so guilty, alright?"

Virginia nodded in return and Clive left for the house, slinging his ARM over his shoulder. Loitering by herself, she watched Jet as he stared over the railing. He was frowning as usual with an expression that was unreadable. He held the scarf to his lips as he closed his eyes. He then wrapped it around his neck with the white one.

Virginia took a step towards him, but stopped herself from taking another. Instead she turned towards the house for another night of sleeplessness. As for Jet, he stood at that bridge until sunrise deep in thought of someone so close but so far. His artificial body felt no fatigue and no tire.

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**Again I apologize for the prolonged wait. I will definitely be updating more often from now on. I hope you enjoyed this chappie! **


	4. Open Sesame

**Here's the next chapter after such a long wait. I'm really determined to finish a previous story which I've nearly accomplished. So once that's finished, these chapters will start flowing more normally. Plus, I haven't played the game much so ya know how that is. Anywho, enjoy the chappie! **

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_**Chapter 4 **_

_**Open Sesame**_

The next day, after rising early to a warm morning, the group prepared for they're next journey. In hopes of finding the man who had sent them on the perilous mission at Gemstone Cave, they prepared for a long voyage. The gella had been a generous reward, but to Virginia, it wasn't for her to accept. They had failed after all and unfortunately, her decision didn't settle too well with her companions. 

"What are you talkin' about, Ginny!" Gallows demanded as he tagged his leader around as she saddled her snowy horse, "Why would you give up that gella? We worked hard to go in there and find out the truth!" 

"And? We didn't save that man" Virginia replied, frowning as she sighed deeply, "He's dead. We don't deserve that reward, you know that" 

"Alright, Ms. Perfect, how are we gonna find the guy who gave it to us?" Gallows retorted with crossed arms, "He's probably long gone" 

"Which means time isn't something to waste" She replied firmly with indifference. Gallows inanely continued to grumble as he tended to his own steed that proceeded to nibble greedily on the ivory colored locks that hung over the side of his face. 

As she tightly strapped a saddle bag containing supplies to the leather saddle, Virginia felt penetrating eyes watching her. A sort of vague feeling that enticed curiosity as well as a nervous inkling of tension. She turned, facing the house, and noticed Jet propped against the corner of the house. He had remained outside the whole of the night, not desiring to sleep when he needn't bother. If he had been watching her, he was quick to hide it by watching townsmen pass him by with little interest. 

With a shrug, Virginia returned to her task, suddenly feeling the eyes again. Before she could bother confronting Jet, Clive appeared from the front door of the house. 

"So I suppose our best option would be to head east to Little Rock" Clive suggested, folding the map in his hands and then placing it in his pocket, "It's the closest town and Catherine mentioned that he left on foot" 

"Alright, then to Little Rock it is!" Virginia announced, mounting the ivory horse. 

As morning ascended into midday, the scorching sun pierced the barren wasteland. The dusty ground was coarse under the pound of hoof beats as the group crossed the dry desert. 

Suddenly, something appeared different about the land and soon they reached a massive blockade, a precipice rising about 300 feet. The cliff seemed like it had spilt and rose straight up from the ground. They stared up at it in utter disbelief. 

"What the…?" Gallows murmured with his mouth agape. "What the hell is this?" 

"I don't remember this cliff being here…" Virginia stated with a baffled shake of her head, "We _are_ going east, aren't we?" 

"Yes" Clive replied, cupping a hand over his eyes as he looked up at the large impasse, "This cliff wasn't here the last time we came through" 

"What are you sayin'?" Gallows furrowed a thick brow, "You mean, the land shifted? How the heck could that happen and no one feel it!" 

"Very plausible question" Clive answered, steadying his glasses. He glanced at Virginia and asked, "So what should we do, go back?" 

"No" Virginia replied, looking at each of them, "There must be an opening somewhere. Perhaps we hadn't ever noticed it her" She wasn't certain about what she was saying though. She knew she would have seen and remembered such a rock face as colossal as this. 

They then followed the length of the rocky wall. It seemed endless, leading them for hours to no where different. It was if they were walking in place. After hours of endless traveling, the tremendous heat took quite a tool on one of the drifters. 

"Alright!" Gallows exclaimed, literally leaping off the saddle. The startled horse abruptly turned and slammed into Jet's horse. The android, swearing as he went, fell face first into the sand. 

"I shall destroy this with my brilliant brain power!" Gallows bellowed, splaying both hands against the rocky cliff, "AHA!" 

"I think the heat has taken a toll on him…" Clive stated watching as Gallows started stomping aimlessly in a circle in some kinky dance. 

"Agreed" Virginia replied, nodding. 

Jet suddenly leaped to his feet and stomped angrily towards Gallows, who ignored the rather shorter individual. 

"OPEN SESAME" Gallows suddenly cried with a large, silly grin plastered on his face. 

Jet grasped Gallows jacket collar and wrathfully exclaimed, "Look, you idiotic dumba—" 

He was interrupted by an abrupt shaking of the ground. Fragments of the stony cliff, large and small, began to rupture and crash onto the ground below. Then a large fracture formed at the base of the cliff and began a rigid zigzag upwards towards the top of the rock face. And then, it began to split and spread apart along the fracture. 

"I DID IT!" Gallows shouted in victory from somewhere in the thick dust and rubble. 

Virginia cupped her hand over her mouth trying to fight her coughing. Through squinted eyes, she attempted to find see her comrades through the smoke but couldn't. She dismounted her horse and it backed away to huddle next to Jet's horse in fear. 

"Is everyone alright?" Clive asked once the rubble had settled a few moments later. 

"Yeah" Gallows replied, rubbing his forehead, "I got hit in the head though" 

"I'm alright" Virginia stated, focusing mainly on Jet who was standing a few feet away, looking at his hand with an impassive expression, "Jet, are you okay?" 

He looked up at her abruptly and quickly added a stern, "I'm fine" 

They all then looked towards the cliff, which now had a narrow trench carving a long path into the rock. It was dark, suggesting that the distance between Little Rock and themselves had grown somehow. It wasn't just a mistake, the land had changed. Could the continents of the planet truly shifted without their notice? 

"Gee, Gallows, how'd you do that?" Virginia inquired, wide eyed. 

"Well, I…I uh…" He stammered, "I don't know" 

"I don't think Gallows did anything" Clive stated, tapping his chin, "It may have been a coincidence that he and his chicken dance occurred at the same time as the splitting of the rock" 

"Hey!" Gallows barked at Clive, "That is a sacred dance of my people, man!" 

"Okay, okay" Virginia said, waving a hand at Gallows, "I'm not sure what's going on, but maybe we should continue ahead…I mean Little Rock is out there somewhere" She let a nervous smile form on her face. 

Leaving the horses and taking a few supplies, they entered the narrow trench. The high cliff walls obscured the sunlight from the ground floor, leaving them in near darkness. 

They were only a few minutes in when Virginia realized the fourth wheel missing. She stopped and looked back for Jet, discovering only a silhouette of his figure distantly following behind. She waited back for him, letting the others lead ahead of them. 

"Are you alright?" She inquired just as he approached her. But he ignored her with a smug expression, "At least answer me!" She snapped, grasping his hand merely out of contempt. He writhed at her touch and his expression changed into one of anguish. 

Perplexed, she peered down at his hand. His gloved was tattered and his hand was literally ripped to where the skin would hang off, revealing artificial tissue. It was gruesome because there wasn't any blood, simply his fake skin torn. 

"Jet, why didn't you tell us!" She snapped in concerned anger. She untied the red bow at her neck and attempted to wrap his hand in the soft ribbon, "If I didn't care if you were hurt, I wouldn't ask" 

"It doesn't matter" He wretched his hand away, "It's not bleeding, it'll heal itself just like human skin" But it wasn't human skin, he wasn't human. And for that, he wouldn't ever accept what he was. And what he was made for. 

"But it's hurting you" Virginia reasoned with wide, concerned eyes, "If I wrap it, it won't hurt as bad" 

"Just leave it" He started forward, noticing Clive and Gallows becoming harder to see. 

"But I—"

"Why the hell do you care!" Jet snapped, his voice echoing off the narrow walls. Staring into her large blue eyes, he wished he could have taken it back. "Look, I…" 

"Sorry," Virginia bit her lip and simply shook her head, "I did, my mistake" She turned away from him in embarrassment and continued forward, where Clive stared back at them, confused. She passed him without stopping or explaining. 

Jet watched her disappear somewhere into the narrow darkness. He realized he had hurt her just then, but didn't no how to seek forgiveness. He gazed at Clive who still stood waiting and then stared down at his hand. He noticed that she had dropped her red ribbon and he bent to pick it up. He held it tightly through the intense pain and continued forward. 

0—0—0 

**Poor Ginny! –sobs- Sheesh, what a random chapter lol But I hope you liked. And I really will try to update sooner this time! ttyl **


	5. The Light

0—0—0

0—0—0

_**Chapter 5**_

_**The Light**_

Exhausted, restless and famished; the team had made little progress. The endless path still stretched further before them, farther then they could have imagined possible. As the day descended into late afternoon— or what they thought was afternoon— the journey towards Little Rock had become a mission to escape this shadowy prison.

"There ain't no way Little Rock is this far," Gallows stated grudgingly, keeping a steady hand on the rocky wall next to him. Whether from the mere darkness of from fatigue, it was becoming difficult to see. Not that there was much to see anyway.

"We may have passed it," Clive added somewhat deterred.

"I say we go back!" Gallows announced with arms crossed, "Or at least rest"

"No, we must keeping going," Virginia countered absently, still pressing on ahead of them. She was surprisingly undaunted, though she was uncertain whether it was fear or anger that drove her forward, she wasn't going to stop now. She knew if she did, she would have no determination, nothing to focus on and then she would certainly break.

Why had he pushed her away like he did? Her only desire was to help, that had been her intention from the very beginning. Even from the start, he had shown absolutely no appreciation for anything they did! Perhaps it was self-pity for himself…And even so, no one should pity themselves!

Now she wasn't even sure if he was still following behind them. Fine. She didn't care anymore.

"Ginny, who knows how far this damn trench goes," Gallows protested, "Clive's probably right, we ain't no closer to Little Rock than before!"

"Then there's only one way to find out," Their so-called fearless leader replied, "Wouldn't want this exercise to go to waste, would we?"

Virginia could hear Gallows grumbling as he followed slowly; he had learned that it was fruitless to contradict her optimistic nature.

"Any thoughts on how this happened?" Virginia inquired, glancing over her shoulder at Clive. He was examining the jagged, fractured ground as it passed under his feet.

"Earthquake, perhaps?" He replied, clearly uncertain about his answer, "Though it doesn't seem like any earthquake I've seen. No warning, no after shock; It's peculiar"

"Then what else could it be?" Virginia murmured; they had seen some bizarre things happen during their journey, but what could explain this sudden rift in the geography. What if the rest of the planet was experiencing this as well…? What if the planet had finally begun its rebirth, the ultimate cleansing of the evil that had corrupted it?

The realization had just begun to sink in when she heard Gallows chime in excitement, "Hey, I think I see the way outta here!"

He was pointing ahead of them, at a vague light that lingered in the distance of the long trench.

Suddenly, there was an earsplitting _KA-CHACK. _The world seemed to start shuddering, shaking lose rocks from the unstable trench walls. Fragments clattered to the ground, stirring sand and dust into the air.

"What's going on?" Virginia turned to her comrades and she was distracted by Jet, who had stayed with them all this time and was propped against the shaking wall. It would have been like him to vanish, but then again he been just as trapped as she was. Her daydreaming was disrupted by Gallows, who was tugging urgently on her sleeve.

"Ginny, the walls! We gotta go!" The next thing she knew, she was being drug behind him. The slender path had suddenly become narrow, the walls were getting closer.

Stones crashed into the enclosing space, dust began to obscure the light. The darkness began to consume them and Virginia felt her head spin. They couldn't make it, the exit was too far. This was where their journey would finally end; crushed between these walls.

Suddenly, there was a sickly crash from behind her. A deafening bang, like thunder, sent her falling to her knees. She felt rocks tumbling onto her legs and stomach.

Vaguely, she heard Gallows shout from somewhere around her, "Unbelievable!"

Her cheek pressed into the jagged stone ground, she couldn't hear anything. Perhaps there was no sound at all or the din was so piercing it was inaudible. She felt a gentle hand, although cold, press against her face. A brilliant glow of purple— no amethyst— was shrouding her eyes. Its vividness was blinding.

Then, it faded as she slipped into unconsciousness.

0—0—0

_"The darkness is inevitable" _

"…What?" Her voice was hoarse, barely escaping her lips.

_"Humans; unfit creatures worthy only to exist in a world as stained as they themselves are" _

"I don't understand…"

The voice was approaching ever closer,_ "This world is condemned; the day of reckoning is advent" _

_"_Who are you?!" Virginia cried, unable to feel her body moving, "I don't know what you're talking about!"

_"Prepare, human, your days are shortly numbered" _

Suddenly, she heard screaming; earsplitting, agonized screaming. She felt strong hands grasping her shoulders, shaking her vehemently. She then found herself sitting up on the cold ground, the light of a small fire greeting her from nearby. Her eyes were wide-open, it was then she realized it was her that was screaming.

"Jeez, why are you screamin'?!" Gallows demanded frantically, shaking her.

"Where am I…?" Virginia muttered, her head was slightly heavy.

"Damn, you 'bout gave me a heart-attack," He added in relief as he released her shoulders.

"Are you alright?" Clive asked, kneeling next to her, "You fainted"

"Yeah, you've been out for hours," Gallows added, sighing, "We were just sittin' here, waiting for you to get up, and all of the sudden you started _screamin'_ like you'd seen a ghost or somethin'"

"Oh… Sorry, I just had a bad dream is all" Virginia murmured reassuringly, rubbed her throbbing head. What was that dream all about? And that light she had seen just before she had fainted? There were too many questions and no answers. Then she remembered, "But what about the trench and the walls and—"

Abruptly, she searched the vague landscape for Jet, but found him absent.

"Well, after you fainted, somethin' weird happened," Gallows explained, drawing her attention again, "Not too sure what though; the walls were closin' and there wasn't no way we were gonna escape, course' I was draggin' you and you were like dead weight"

"The walls suddenly disintegrate, you could say" Clive concluded then he pointed behind her.

Turning, she was awestruck by the sight. Nearly half a mile into the trench, the wall had completely crumbled. Walls had closed, but it was difficult to see far enough where the wall was still standing. It was resembled a massive crater, as if a meteor had fallen from the sky. Only that so-called 'meteor' was missing now.

"W-what happened?" Virginia asked, startled by the sight. Large slates of stone were plowed into the dirt; the rest was nothing but rubble now.

"Like I said, we're not sure what happened," Gallows explained, crossing his arms, "Maybe it was the Guardians…"

"I don't think so…" Virginia struggled to stand, discovering the hem of her dress was torn and she was covered in dust. There was a sharp pain in her ankle, probably from a fallen rock. She did her best to disregard the pain, "If it were the Guardian's, we would have felt them"

Clive watched her struggle to keep her balance, "Perhaps you should rest for the night"

"No, I'm alright" She flashed a feeble smile, but he was clearly unconvinced. Virginia glanced around their small encampment, in hopes to see him lounging around or pretending to be asleep, "Where is Jet?"

"He said he was goin' for a walk, but that was a few hours ago," Gallows explained, settling his back against a rock and attempting to make it seem like it was comfortable, "Maybe he actually left this time. Heh, good riddance, the little punk"

Clive simply shook his head, but Virginia was quite offended.

"Why would you say something like that?" Virginia demanded in disgust, "Maybe that's why he always tries to leave, because he believes no one wants him here!"

"Who does?!" Gallows countered with a knitted brow, "All he does is put everyone done anyways; 'specially you, Ginny, why are you defendin' him?"

"If no one else will," She turned abruptly to Clive and asked, "Which way did he go?"

Clive pointed to his left and Virginia promptly headed in that direction. Passing Gallows without the slightest glance, she said in a contemptuous tone, "I'll be back later _with_ Jet"

As she began to fade into the dark horizon, Gallows shook his head, "I don't get women sometimes; always gotta gripe about somethin'!"

Clive shook his head and sighed, "I'm certain they don't get you either"

"What's that supposed to mean…?"

0—0—0

Virginia hadn't ever ventured into the wasteland at night before; she had never been one to call it spooky either until now. It was silent with the exception of the crunch of sand and rubble beneath her feet. But she pressed forward into the barren night. But it wasn't until she was twenty minutes from camp that she realized what she was doing.

"Why are you going to find _him?_" She said aloud to herself, "You're supposed to angry with him! That jerk never appreciated anything you did for him…Maybe Gallows was right"

She began to turn back for camp when tightened her fists, "No, I can't let him go that easily"

After what felt like an eternity, Virginia could feel her weary head drooping. The overwhelming pain in her ankle was unable to be overlooked any longer. Her breaths had become short and every muscle in her body pleaded for her to fall to the cold ground.

Suddenly she felt a cool hand tightly grip onto her arm and it took only a second for her to muster the strength to reveal her ARM, hold it high and prepare to fire. Then she realized who she was pointing it at.

"Jet," She murmured, slowly return the lucid ARM to its holster, "I finally found you"

"I found you," He corrected in a reserved tone as he released her arm.

Virginia returned him a smug expression before bending to massage the side of her boot. Groaning at the intense pain, she fell onto her bottom and began removing her boot.

"What happened to you?" Jet asked; concern slightly etched in his voice. He knelt next to her and watched curiously.

"I guess I twisted my ankle," She paused to glance at him as if trying to decipher an intricate code, "During that _mishap" _

"…" He blatantly hesitated with his response so he was left with only one simple reply. He stood again and stated, "Oh well, you'll live"

"How comforting, as usual" Virginia retorted sarcastically, returning her attention to her ankle. Through the twists of pain that ailed her, animosity was written on her face. Gritting his teeth, Jet realized he had taken a step backwards.

Kneeling next to her again, he noticed her ankle was swollen and had become a slight shade of purple. It had been terribly injured from the falling rocks, he had seen it himself. But this wound would be but a simple cut compared to what could have happened.

Her face contorted in pain, as she attempted to ease the pain away, but in vain.

"You shouldn't touch it," He murmured, instinctively taking her hand and drawing it away. He quickly let her go and turned away, blushing. "I mean…it might be broken; rubbing it won't help, genius"

Virginia watched him closely for a moment and then smiled as she clasped her hands onto her lap, "I don't think it's broken, I would have noticed a while ago. Maybe from the constant walking to find you"

Jet glanced at her again, perplexed. "You came looking…even though you were hurt, why?" He then realized his question was rather standoffish, almost cynical.

She smiled still, "Well, yes, I was afraid you were trying to sneak off again," She explained, her expression becoming sheepish, which was unlike her, "That's a bad habit you have, no?"

Jet was taken aback, wasn't she still angry for pushing her away? He was certain she would have _wanted_ him gone. Perhaps, she had taken a hit to the head and had forgotten about the incident in the trench. Then, he remembered her ribbon; he still had it, wrapped tightly around his wrist.

Slowly, he untied it and handed it to her. With averted eyes he muttered, "Look, I'm…sorry…for saying I didn't need your help"

Completely astonished that he was actually apologized, she took into her hand and glanced at it as if it were a gift. She gazed at him again, noticing he still was glaring into another direction in both disdain and shame.

"I apologize too," She stated abruptly, gaining his full attention. She squeezed the small strip of silk tightly between her fingers, "Maybe I shouldn't have imposed, like I did"

Jet was utterly speechless, why was she apologizing to _him_…?

"And after that, I told myself that I didn't care, that it was pointless to try," Virginia continued, "I lied. It is a terrible thing; lying. My father had always told me that…" A tender, but forlorn smile grew on her face as she remembered her father. She let the small smile to grow into nervous laughter, "So I guess we both made a mistake"

Staring now, she hadn't ever been given the opportunity to admire his eyes. They seemed so… spellbinding.

Jet suddenly stood, shaken but of course attempting to conceal it. With a hard gaze in another direction again, he murmured, "Let's go already"

"But, I can't walk" Virginia pointed out, beguiled by his odd behavior, "Maybe we should just stay—"_  
_

Suddenly, there was that brilliant light again. But it was smaller this time, gentler. Jet was kneeling again, his hand gently pressed against her wounded ankle. The glow seemed to just flow from his fingertips just as like the glow of the moon. Gradually, the pain faded and vanished.

As did the radiant light, it was suddenly gone.

Jet reluctantly pulled away, mesmerized by his own hand. Virginia gaped at him, utterly astounded.

"It…it doesn't hurt anymore," She stated, touching her ankle which had regained its normal olive color. She returned her gaze to Jet, who was standing once again with strangely repugnant expression.

"You have healing powers?" Virginia inquired, through the question seemed rather childish.

"No," Jet replied, turning away and already stomping towards camp, "C'mon already"

Watching him for a few moments, she began refitting her boot. And soon, she caught up with him, surprised to feel no pain whatsoever.

"Why didn't you tell us you had the ability to heal?"

"I can't, It's not like I could save you if you were bleeding to death or anything," Jet retorted defensively and then remembering what had happened the last time he did that, he quickly added, "I mean…I don't know how to use it, it just happens…"

"That was you that saved us in the trench," She murmured, something within had told her that, "You seem angry about it… Where would we have been without you?"

Jet didn't respond.

"Well, you were blessed with a wonderful gift…"

"…Whatever," He muttered, keeping his amethyst eyes on the ground at his feet, _'Blessed, huh?' _

0—0—0

Gallows sighed, "Where in the hell could they be?" He was still propped against the same rock, arms crossed. He harbored the same sour expression for the past hour.

"Here they come," Clive replied, watching the remaining members of their small team approach.

Gallows was immediately on his feet just as Virginia passed by, "Ginny! I wanted to say that I was— Hey, Ginny looks a little—" He abruptly scowled at Jet.

"What?" Jet chided, blushing madly, "STOP STARING AT ME!"

"I'm watching you, pal" Gallows backed off still glaring contemptuously, pointing two fingers at his own eyes and then at Jet.

Settling a few feet away from the others, the stoic android watched their fatigued leader attempt to find a place comfortable on the sandy ground. He was still slightly blushing; fortunately she mustn't have overheard Gallows' accusation.

He now peered down at his hand; both praising his power and scorning it. It was a great burden, being what he was. Virginia had told him it was a blessing, a wonderful gift. Perhaps, in time, she would make him a believer.

0—0—0

**Sorry about the last part of this chapter. It's pretty late so I kinda rushed. But I hope you enjoyed**


	6. The Other Side

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_**Chapter 6 **_

_The Other Side_

The morning sun beamed brightly against Virginia's closed lids as she felt the dreamless slumber begin to wane. It was becoming quite the nuisance to fall asleep against the hard ground with only her violet vest to serve as a cushion. But with such hectic days lately, even jagged rocks couldn't keep her from seeking rest, so she didn't fuss about it.

Sitting up and stretching her slightly aching arms towards the sky, the young leader admired the clear horizon. The azure sky washed over her head like an endless ocean of bliss. From the desert of the rugged land to the seas of sand, Filgaia would always be her home. But the voice that had haunted her thoughts the day before, it sent chills up her spine. It was peculiar; she was beginning to wonder if even happened.

Perhaps she had a concussion from the incident the day before; yes, that must certainly be why.

Virginia shook the dust from her crumpled vest as she stood, scrutinized over the wrinkles. Gallows was sitting on the same rock when he noticed her stir.

"Mornin'," He greeted cheerfully with a wave.

Clive was seated on the ground next to him, engrossed by a map. He seemed intrigued, but Virginia had reason to believe that piece of paper wasn't of any use anymore.

"Good morning," Virginia replied with a smile before searching the empty area nearby, relieved to see Jet was standing about ten feet away with his back to her. He was his usual cynical self of course, but at least he was there.

"I suppose we must find our own way," Clive stated, tucking the map away and standing, "There was another tremor early this morning, perhaps we will find a town if we're fortunate"

"I see," Virginia murmured in contemplation; it appeared that things wouldn't return to normal anytime soon. They had to find the gentleman who sent them on the disastrous trip to Gemstone Cave; perhaps he would have a few answers to all these occurrences. It was a start at least.

Bending to tighten her loose boot, Virginia announced with a terribly optimistic tone, "Well, without our horses, I guess were going to get quite a workout today, everyone"

Moments elapsed and the group advanced in an unknown direction. The morning sun ascended into midday, where it beat down most insufferably, yet they pressed on. An hour after noontime, they passed by large crevices in the earth. Colossal, empty fractures in the ground that descended far into the ground left Virginia in awe. Never had she seen such a sight in all her travels.

What was happening?

"Damn, what the hell is this?" Gallows inquired as he rubbed away the beads of sweat from his forehead. His booming voice echoed against the steep, jagged walls of the cleft, stirring pebbles.

"Something bad," Virginia muttered, rubbing her arms as she felt the incisive gaze of another a small distance next to her. The amethyst orbs burned like cinders against her skin, they'd been watching a lot lately. Jet hadn't uttered a word to her or anyone for that matter since the night before; it would be odd surprise if that little chat had sunk in his mind. And a first.

But she evaded his watch, the terrifying sight before her troubled her thoughts still.

"What should we do?" Clive asked, glancing towards Virginia he wavered with her reply.

They couldn't proceed in this direction and she hoped that if there were a town ahead that it wasn't in ruins at the bottom of this precipice. She decided on the only other alternative she could devise; go around.

"Let's follow the edge," Virginia said, indicating the endless path following the snaking crag. It tore through the earth like a ravenous serpent, ravaging the already ravaged terrain, "Hopefully, we'll find something before nightfa—"

Suddenly, the planet shuddered. The din was thunderous, earsplitting and it rumbled the walls of the cleft, breaking massive fragments that ripped into the bulwark, setting a chain of rockslides. Then with a sickening grumble, the ground under their unsteady feet began to split like glass. Thick fissures ripped into the ground and the quavering walls fell into the crag, as if swallowed by an unseen fiend.

It happened so quickly.

"Get away!" Someone shouted; Virginia wasn't certain which one of them it was. She felt a taut grasp around her right arm just as the ground under her own feet collapsed and began to topple. She knew she was screaming when she kneaded her nails into Jet's waist. The loose fragment crumpled and they both slid a numerous feet into the steep wall of the precipice.

Her breath hitched and only the android's grasp kept her from falling head first into the bulwark of the crag. Yet the ground still rumbled, stirring a storm of dust and sand into the sky. It stung her eyes and face, blurring her already unclear fate.

"Ginny!" That was Gallows and his voice sounded far off from wherever she stood. Horrified, Virginia grasped Jet's shoulder with her remaining shoulder, feeling her feet slide rapidly forward with the tumbling splinters of stone. With stinging eyes, she searched for Jet's face and finding it etched with ambiguity. It was evident that he struggled with all his might to keep both of them from being swept into the gorge.

She prayed for him to do something, anything. He had saved her quite a few times within the past few days, but what now? They were both in grave danger, and he seemed astonished.

Then, the bulwark shook again, splitting away from they side and toppling like blocks into the empty air. Shaking against the gravity that sent them slipping forward, Jet drew Virginia into a firm embrace, grounding digits into her back. Her scream was partially muffled as the stone beneath her feet peeled completely from the cliff-side. She could feel the sickening rush as they fell and she wasn't certain when the end would come.

Suddenly, she lost all distinction what was up and what was down until her back crashed in the jagged earth. Virginia cried out in both shock and agony as the descending rockslide ravaged her backside. Gravel pounded her face and dust filled her lungs.

Death was drawing near, prolonged by anguish and the endless depth of the crag.

Then Virginia was facedown and the sharp slicing of the rocks vanished, but she could hear Jet hissing in agony next to her ear. Muddled tears stained her cheeks as they struggled against the violent rage of nature. Jet dredged his hands into her back, perhaps to keep from losing her or in excruciating resistance against the pain. Likewise, Virginia had both hands wrapped around the back of his neck.

Then, as quickly as it began, it was over.

Moments passed into minutes and the booming cry of the splitting earth became painfully silent. The rocks ceased falling with the exception of a few pebbles that tumbled and covered her like a blanket. Her hindered breaths now came in long surges of apprehension. There wasn't a spot on her body that didn't ache especially when struggled onto her knees.

Instinctively she placed a hand on either side of Jet's placid face. With the exception of a few bloodless scratches and marks, he appeared unscathed, in fact with his calm expression and closed eyes, he seemed peaceful. Once again, he'd protected her.

Virginia peered up at the heavens; the azure sky was smothered in a cloud of dust and sand. Gallows and Clive were up there somewhere and she imagined them, Gallows at least, in a frantic terror.

Her heart pounding like a drum in her chest as she searched the crag around her; through the wall of dust, massive shards of stone were wedged into the ground. Kneeling at one side of the fissure, she could only vaguely see the opposing bulwark. Finally, she stood and gazed up the colossal wall of crumpled rock and called, "Gallows! Clive!"

Her shrill voice bounced off the looming walls like a rubber ball, yet there was no reply. Virginia jaw trembled, the fear there may not be an escape from this trap had already sank into her thoughts. Then, to her relief, she heard stirring of gravel as Jet roused, with a quiet groan. The young leader went to his side and knelt with wide, vigilant orbs.

"Are you alright?" She inquired, brushing a hand across his cold cheek.

He glanced at her with an impromptu expression; amethyst eyes examining her like a stranger. After a moment, he placed his own hand over hers and squeezed tightly.

"Jet?"

Abruptly, as if he hadn't heard her, Jet leaned in and pressed the side of his face against her chest. Virginia's heart skipped a beat and she remained frozen for a moment.

"Is it over?" He asked in a tone she had never heard him use; fear. Like the fear of a child.

"O-over?"

"I'm afraid," Jet added in very small voice.

Virginia felt her spine quiver as he snaked both arms around her waist, clinging to her as if he would fall. She didn't what was going on, but she wanted it to stop. Her face was felt as if it was on fire and her trembling hands were helpless at her sides. Did he hit his head in the fall? What was he talking to her in this way?

"Jet," She murmured breathlessly.

But Jet didn't respond, being too engrossed in her presence.

"Jet," She said again before grasping his shoulders and pushing him away, "Jet!"

She grasped his vivid eyes again, but they weren't at all wide with fear anymore. With knitted brows, he gazed at her with astonishment before squirming away and bounding to his feet, distancing himself. He glared at her impertinently as if he'd been violated in some way.

"What the hell was that?" He snapped in offense.

"Excellent question," Virginia stood, matching his scowl, "Why were you acting like that?"

"Like what?" Jet retorted viciously.

Virginia's eyes widened in disbelief and then narrowed in offense, "Nevermind"

Jet turned away and stomped a few steps away with crossed arms. He didn't experience a very wide range of human emotions, but the one he felt when he woke so close to her was the most awful. What would a human call it? Aversion or maybe embarrassment? No matter, she didn't need to know.

"Then let's find a way out of here," Virginia said, trudging heavily passed him with a turbulent expression. That was perhaps the most peculiar feeling she had ever experienced. And it was Jet, of all people! Whatever happened to him that made him behave that way, well, she feared that it was one of many things that made these days stranger and stranger.

0—0—0

**Let's see how they get out of this one lol Sorry for the wait! **


	7. Time Zones

0—0—0

_**Chapter 7 **_

_**Time Zones**_

"Oh, this ain't good, this ain't good!" Gallows stated frantically, hands on his head.

The cloud of thick dust had risen towards the sky like a hand rising to the heavens. Staring down into the ever wider precipice, the bottom was smothered in the russet colored smoke.

Clive tapped his chin, assessing the situation, "I have never seen anything like this; quite the phenomena"

"We have to do something!" came Gallows' stark reply as she ventured close to the cliff's edge and felt the unsteady ground tremble. Clive grasped the hasty man's collar and yanked him back as the rocks crumbled.

"I agree, but unfortunately, there is nothing we can do from here. It would be wise to find help, it is possible that someone nearby heard the commotion"

"But we can't just leave 'em down there!" Gallows snapped, indicating the gaping crag with waving arms, "Ginny might be seriously hurt!"

Clive breathed a sigh of uncertainty, "Yes, she could, but she isn't by herself"

Gallows scoffed and crossed his arms, a spiteful expression on his face, "How comforting, she might as well be by herself; I don't trust the punk as far as I can throw 'em"

"Come now," Clive reasoned, securing the sniper around his shoulder, "Jet might be rather vain, but I don't think he will abandon her, I have that much faith in him. Now, let us find assistance and maybe find some information about what's happening," with that said, he treaded off, following the glow of the descending sun.

Gallows grumbled, torn between staying and going. Then with growl he yelled into the wall of dust and grime, "You had better take care of her, ya little…Punk!" Then he turned and scurried after Clive, who shook his head at the absurdity.

0—0—0

Jet examined the dust filled sky, detecting a faint voice but heard nothing but the scuffing of their boots on the gravel, so he brushed it off without another thought. The light of the sun vaguely pierced the wall of dust that was slowly settling onto his head and shoulders, making him cough. Virginia was several unsteady paces ahead of him. They had walking for only a few long, silent minutes and it was already clear that their search for exit was bearing a fruitless outcome.

Virginia, took another heavy step, steadying herself on a large rock splinter, she stared into the wall of dirt through squinted eyes. With all the mysterious hype lately, this gorge could go on forever; the thought left her heavyhearted.

She laced her fingers and felt a sharp pang of fear in her chest. She searched for that hope that always sparked within her in times when chances were against her, but there was nothing. She turned and leaned against the rock and to glance at Jet, but the haze was too thick to see him if he was near. She had wondered many a time whose side he was on; hers or one of his own. Perhaps he didn't even know, or care.

She clasped a hand over her mouth and nose, feeling the dust sting her lungs and send her hacking. Suffocation would take her before hunger or tire would. Through her trembling hands she asked in near silence, "Father, what would you do?"

_Are you afraid yet, Human?_

Virginia threw herself forward and onto the rocky ground with a loud yelp, stunned by the all too familiar voice. She turned onto her back just as Jet appeared next to her with his ARM ready to fire on the unexpected visitor.

"Oh, please forgive me, I didn't mean to startle you," said a different voice, a young man with short, fiery red hair and deep green eyes appeared from the other side of the boulder with his hands in the air. He was dressed in familiar clothing; a light blue cloak, black gloves and boots. He was from the Ark of Destiny.

Virginia remained wide-eyed and skeptical of him, that wasn't the voice she had just heard, that was an unpleasantly familiar voice she had heard one before, in her dreams. But this man didn't seem to be a threat at all with his hands raised and apologetic expression, so she left the fright to be a side effect of fatigue. She stood quickly and waved a hand at Jet, biding him to lower his ARM, which he did reluctantly. He still seemed suspicious.

Within, she felt the guardians tremble in fear. Jet must have sensed it as well.

The man seemed relieved as he lowered his hands and said, "I shouldn't have snuck up on you like I did, I was surprised to see someone else stuck down here; forgive me if I'm relieved to see you"

"It's alright," Virginia replied with a small smile, brushing herself off, "I'm Virginia, this is Jet," She indicated her sullen companion, who remained motionless.

"I'm Lechek, it's nice to meet you despite the circumstances"

"Sorry if this is forward, but are you from the Ark of Destiny?"

"Oh," he must known what she was thinking, because he looked down at his clothing for a moment then rubbed the back of his head as if he were embarrassed, "Yes, I was doing some research at the Leyline Observatory or I was planning to, but the ground crumbled during my journey and here I am, I've never felt an earthquake like that, it was tremendous, I only wish I could return to headquarters to report it…"

"So you think this was caused by an earthquake?" Jet inquired with a raised brow, seeming to be unconvinced.

"Most definitely," Lechek replied persistently, "I couldn't imagine what else. Though not much is known about the plate tectonics of Filgaia; I assure you a quake was the cause"

"I see, well I suppose we should find away out before anything like that happens again," said Virginia.

"I agree, but I don't think we will need to search," Lechek, turning and indicating a particular direction with a pointed finger, "Most of the walls in the precipice are evenly leveled, but I found a section where the wall may have collapsed, we may be able to climb"

Virginia smiled, "Great, let's go!"

They followed the Lechek several yards through the dust to the edge of the crag, sure enough the wall had collapsed and was sloped enough to be climbed. Once at the top, Virginia asked, "You said you were on your way to the Leyline observatory?"

"Yes, it's about twenty miles west of here," He pointed, "but I think I'll head back to headquarters to report this"

"Thank you, perhaps we will meet again"

"Yes, perhaps we shall," he said to her in particular with a keen smile and narrowed eyes and then he turned and vanished into the horizon.

When he could no longer be seen, Jet asked, "Tell me you don't believe this guy, after all we've seen, you know this had nothing to do with some earthquake"

"Well, I'm not sure," she replied somewhat absentmindedly, wondering why he had given her the look he had before leaving, then added, "I don't want to exclude any possibility right now. Anyway, knowing that the Observatory is west from here, we should be able to find Little Rock. There, we'll try to get in contact with the others, I guess that's all we can do for now"

Jet shook his head, "What about the guardians?" He pressed.

"You felt that too, huh? Yes that was strange"

"You're little friend was strange"

"What?" Virginia knitted her brows, "I was being polite, the last thing we need is trouble"

Jet waved his hand at her, as if to wave away the conversation, "Whatever. It's going to get dark, let's go already"

Heading southeast, the sun descended in the western sky, casting the long shadows of the dunes onto the sand ground. Virginia examined the ground as she passed with tired eyes. One day there would be life here, one day water will shower from the sky; what a beautiful world it will be, that day. Yet there was so much evil left on this planet, this barren land of nothingness was the punishment for human greed. Alas, the sins of humans and demi-humans alike have sent the planet nearly into oblivion.

It was nightfall when dim lights came into view.

"Look! We finally made it!" Virginia announced, indicated the town with a pointed finger. But as they neared the dusty, dark little town, they were greeted with an unexpected discovery.

Jet read the sign as they neared, "Laxisland"

"Laxisland?" Virginia echoed in shock, "We couldn't have been traveling for that long!"

"Ya think?" Jet replied snappishly, "You can't get to Laxisland on foot; something's up"

Inside Virginia approached a familiar blond woman with a bizarre dialect, "Pardon me, have you noticed anything strange going on lately"

The woman considered her then replied, _"I'm not sure I know what you mean, but the ground was shaking rather strangely. But that was last night, what's really strange is the sun rose around three o' clock this morning" _

"What?" Virginia said automatically, astonished.

_"It's as if we're in another time zone, but no one's making a fuss about it or anything. See, it got dark and it was only four in the afternoon! I swear, technology isn't all its cracked up to be!" _

After thanking the woman, Virginia turned to Jet and said, "I had hoped this was just a mistake, but something is really wrong. And no one seems to notice"

"Don't expect them to; most these people barely leave their hometowns"

Virginia put one hand to her forehead, feeling a headache coming on, "Let's see if there are any spare rooms at the inn"

The clock on the wall in the tiny room read eleven at night. Virginia sat on one of the beds next to a candle; according to the desk attendant, the power had been out since the night before. But no one had accounted it to anything out of the ordinary; they all said it was caused by an earthquake. As she loosened the buttons on her lavender jacket, she thought about her family in Boothill. She hoped that they remained unaffected by all the strangeness going on lately, yet the high chances they hadn't stayed as an undying irk in her heart.

The door opened with an eerie squeak as Jet entered, violet eyes glowing slightly in the dark. It was difficult to look into them without being spooked. He held an apple, something hard to come by, in one hand. Laying his ARM on the bed next to hers, he kindly offered the red fruit to her.

Thanking him, she took it happily then paused sadly before it reached her lips, "Aren't you hungry?"

"Not really, just another perk, I guess," he replied, referring to what he was with sarcasm.

She looked down at the apple in dejection as he tugged at the tattered scarves around his neck and removed his black gloves. She took a clean bite out of one side, delighted by the sweet taste. When nothing but the core remained, she discarded it and slipped out of the stuffy jacket. She set the pistols on the desk next to the candle then loosed the buckles of the suede belt around her waist. Finally, she untied each of her boots and drew her legs to her chest and when she glanced at Jet, it seemed he had been watching the little process in its entirety. His luminous eyes were wide and emotionless.

Naturally, when she caught him staring, he looked away.

Virginia fell asleep quickly, lying on top of the blankets due to the heat in the small room. The candle had long since burned out, but Jet could still easily see her from in the blue light of the night that was casted on her face from the window. She lay on her back with her face towards him; she seemed peaceful but her dreams were undoubtedly plagued with worry. And he envied her for that; for having something special to worry over, something so precious that not even dreams could scare the worry away.

He hadn't realized he had stood until he was bent over her. Maybe it was just spontaneity that made him brush his fingers across her cheek or maybe desire. It must have been ticklish, because she pursed her lips and turned her face so it faced the low ceiling above.

Jet withdrew his hand and backed away. If she were to wake, she wouldn't ever let him live it down. Returning to the bed next to hers, he let his head fall against the wall behind him and closed his eyes; but sleep never came to him.

0—0—0

**TBC **


	8. The Message

**Hello again! I hadn't intended to update any time soon, but with the kind reviews I received recently, I decided it was enough to make me want to give it a shot. I'm not one to demand reviews, but know that it helps! Thanks for the reviews~ **

0—0—0

_**Chapter 8 **_

_**The Message**_

"What an awful thing to happen! Ah just can't believe it!" Claudia shrieked with both hands on her cheeks.

In the night, to their surprise, Gallows and Clive had stumbled into Little Twister where the Honey of Roses Saloon agreed to board them. Morning came oddly early, but not to Gallows' acknowledgment seeing as he slept well into the day anyhow. The clock read seven o'clock at midday when the owner Angela and her barmaid Claudia, specifically the former, confronted them on barging in at such a late hour. They hadn't met since the incident at the Unclean Mask with Melody Vilente; naturally, Gallows' was elated.

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised," Angela said, shaking her head, "Odd things have been turning up around here as well, like the day and the night…"

Something caught her attention as the blistering light from the windows began to fade to a sleepy blue. She drifted towards the window and touched the curtain, "But that doesn't come close to this," She drew open the curtain and Claudia put her hands to her cheeks again, distraught.

The sky was thick with gray and gloomy clouds. They grumbled as if angry, rolling through the sky like a fiend. Then, starting as a few taps on the window the sky split and rain fell like a fist to the ground. The downpour was so thick that it resembled a thick brick wall; dismal and impregnable. Angela drew the curtains closed again and said, "I can say I've only seen rain a few times in my life, but _never_ like this. And it's been this way for days"

Even Clive was speechless, puzzled and mystified by the ordeal.

"Damn…" Gallows murmured, setting the empty bottle on the table, yearning to just smash it.

"I'm guessing ya'll have seen a lot more than we have," Angela deduced as she leaned against the wall next to the window, listening to the pounding rain against the building, "I could have guessed, my business is less then booming. Our last tenant was here days ago; didn't stay long enough to pay me anything worth the work. Not that I mind; he was a sketchy fellow, he was"

Claudia nodded in agreement just a Clive woke from a helpless stupor. He stood, "Pardon me, but would you mind describing this person?"

Angela shrugged and replied, "Young I suppose; a red head with green eyes I think. He didn't have much of anything with him. He wouldn't tell, but he sure was in a hurry to get somewhere"

"He watched me a lot," Claudia said, shivering as if she was in the presence of something nasty, "Ah'm glad he's gone"

"I don't like him," Gallows said simply, frowning.

"That's him"

"Wha?" Gallows inquired.

"You didn't meet him, but that's the gentleman who asked me if we'd investigate Gemstone Cave, I'm almost certain"

"Meh, you sound like Virginia, I say we keep his sorry money. It's his fault we're in this mess anyway"

"It's not about Gella anymore; I'd like to find him. I wager he knows something about what's happening around here, you agree?"

Gallows sighed, leaning back so his chair was on too legs, "Yeah, yeah, I forgot that's what we're after"

"You mean…" Angela seemed distraught, "Ya'll are looking for that man? Hmm…"

Tapping her chin, something she seemed to do when troubled, she glanced at Claudia, who pursed her lips. Angela sighed and treaded towards the bar and reached behind the glossy counter and withdrew a leathery piece of folded parchment, "Look, we tried to figure out what this was supposed to mean, but I guess ya can't expect much from two brainless broads, huh?" She gave a dry laugh, "He said if any 'interesting folks' come by to give this to them, then he just left"

She handed the parchment to Clive, who slowly unfolded it and read aloud:

_**'this hapless eternal endeavor is granted hollow tidings his Observatory nefariously eluded' **_

__It was written in careful strokes, but it left them stumped, even Clive.

"Weird," Gallows pointed out, taking the parchment when Clive offered it and read it again to itself.

"Sounds like some poetry mumbo-jumbo, if ya ask me," Angela remarked, crossing her arms and peering out the window again where the rain was slowly dying down.

"Is this supposed to be some kind of message?" Gallows asked to no one in particular tossing it across the table to Clive again, "What do ya think?"

Clive studied it again, "I do think it's a message, but…"

In retrospective, there were several aspects that puzzled him. There was the very meaning of the expression, the choice of words, grammar, and most importantly, why someone would leave this kind of message in the first place. There wasn't a doubt in Clive's opinion that this message was meant for them. The character who was leading them in this wild-goose chase was becoming more suspicious with each strange occurrence and this was the strangest. It was unnerving, frustrating.

Shaking his head, Clive pocketed the message as he played it in his mind again.

"So?"

"I'm not sure," Clive replied, "We can agree this has everything to do with what's happening, let's call it a 'clue', but I think we need to find Virginia and Jet before anything else"

"Agreed…So?" Gallows let the chair onto all fours again, "The fact that we got to _Little Rock_ from where we were is enough to stop us. How are we supposed to find 'em?"

"So ya'll are looking for someone?" Angela asked before indicating the bar, "There's a phone, service isn't great as you can guess, but its worth a shot"

That was a start, calling Catherine would be helpful. Clive nodded in thanks and approached the phone which was sitting on a low shelf by the bar. It was an old candlestick type with a long cord attaching the speaker to the microphone. Taking the speaker, he inserted the numbers into the rotary dial.

0—0—0

Laxisland, by nature, was dark and ominous due to the high walls and medieval feel. But it seemed the sky was despondent as well, perhaps even the world. Virginia had never been fond of this town's gloomy setting. She was standing just outside the Arm Smith shop where her pistol was being examined. The rough fall she had down the cliff a few days ago must have damaged the ARM. Waiting, she felt empty without it; it was a weapon, but it had sentimental value as well.

From where she stood, she could see the two red flags at the top of the posts near the entrance swaying hard in the wind. The gusts were strong, enough to raise clouds of dust from the beaten ground into her face. Standing outside, you wouldn't have been able to tell the electricity in the town was down. There were no powered lights outside, instead torches and lanterns were placed sparsely here and there. Now that she thought about it, Laxisland was more like a fortress than a town. In fact, it might have faced adversity at one time.

The tavern had a telephone, but without power, it was useless of course. For now they were stuck, leaving and venturing into a changing wasteland was asking for trouble; who knows how far the next town is. When she had awoken, the woman at the bar said it was half past eight though it was it seemed to be half past midday instead.

Jet had also been missing when she woke and she hoped he simply went searching for information. Virginia was certain he wouldn't abandon her, but she couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Amidst her daze she noticed a familiar face enter the gate; a man with a proverbial green cap with two bird feathers tucked in the crease.

"Roykman!" This couldn't have been a better meeting. Virginia hurried towards him where he greeted her with a smile, seeming a bit drained underneath the weight of his merchandise.

"Roykman and Co. at your service," He replied politely, "How can I help you?"

"Oh," She was so relieved, she had forgotten what exactly for, "I know you must travel far, you must have noticed"

Virginia told him about the tremendous chasm she and Jet had been trapped in along with the many earthquakes occurring and it didn't take him long to respond.

"Oh, of course. I passed it on my way here from Claiborne. You know what they're calling it over there? _Capers' Gorge_"

Fitting name, Virginia thought, news traveled fast.

"Claiborne?"

"Yup, it's only a mile from the gorge, but in the opposite direction," He glanced around, surprised, "Weird, this is Laxisland, huh?"

Virginia nodded, confused but not surprised. She then asked him if he had seen Clive or Gallows and he told her he hadn't seen anyone who looked like them, but he'd keep an eye out.

"Ah, sure there's some weird things happening, don't let it get you down," Roykman said, trying to be reassuring, "The world's a crazy place"

Virginia thanked him, but his whimsical outlook didn't rub off on her.

"Hey, how about a drink," He indicated the tavern with thoughtful smile, though unaware of her age, "Maybe that'll cheer you up?"

Before she could reply, a familiar voice answered for her, "No, thanks"

Half-turning, Virginia was surprised to find Jet. He was giving a sideways glance with tenacious eyes and furrowed brows. He must have noticed the unappreciative scowl on her face because he added, "We're about to leave"

"No problem, then I bid you farewell," Roykman replied with a smile and a tip of his hat. Then, he turned and started towards the tavern, before stopping suddenly, "Oh, and if I come across your friends, I'll be sure to tell them I saw you"

Virginia thanked him and waved slowly goodbye, then turning to face Jet who seemed unimpressed.

"It's good to see you're as pessimistic as usual," She stated sarcastically, "You could have left me a note or something"

"A note?" Jet seemed amused, making her feel silly, "I went looking for someone who knew what was going on, what did you think?"

"Oh…" She replied dolefully, "And?"

"Nothing, of course. Like I said, you couldn't _drag_ these people from this town"

Virginia knew he was being quaint, but it was too blunt for her taste. And he was probably right, they knew only this as their world, not the world a drifter would understand.

"I see…So why did you say we were leaving?" She asked, evidently against that idea, "Roykman said if he saw Clive and Gallows he'd tell them where we were, why leave?"

"What, you wanna sit around here?" He effectively argued with a furrowed brow; something he did often and if it wasn't naturally aggravating, it would have been attractive. Finding it to be a little of both, Virginia tore her eyes away and stared at a lantern which struggled in the wind. She didn't want to stay and Roykman did say Claiborne was just beyond the gorge. But what if something happened since then? No, it wasn't worth the trouble.

"Yes, I guess I do," She replied finally, without looking. She expected him to press further into a squabble, but to her surprise he didn't bother. He simply shrugged and brushed passed her.

Later, when the sky drew dark, Virginia found herself standing in same room at the inn. It was dark still, but a barmaid offered her a candle, but it didn't seem to help to downcast mood of the cramped space. Again tonight, she found herself thinking of her tight knit family in Boot Hill. Knowing they had each other eased her worrying heart, but not enough.

She was sitting on the bed now with her repaired ARM in her hands. She hoped it worked well; it was her luck and a bittersweet memory. She drew her fingers across the many scrapes it had earned over the years, she was proud of those weathering marks. She remembered using it when she was young and marveling at the new, clean metal. She liked it better this way; she hoped it was just the ARM.

The creaking of the door stirred her from her thoughts.

Regarding her with a long stare and like before his eyes glowed dimly in the shadows as he crossed the room to set his ARM on the table next to the candle. Watching him tog at his ravaged scarves, Virginia rubbed her fingertips over the rough metal of the pistol. He was truly something great, even if he didn't think so. He had protected her more than once, though it made her feel guilty.

She found herself wondering about why he was created in the first place and the man trying to replace something irreplaceable; a son he never got to meet. Elliot Enduro wanted a son stronger than any other, to endure even the death of the world, just so he wouldn't feel the pain of losing him again. To Virginia, it was unfair that Jet had to go on living through another's identity, even if no one knew. But he knew. She had made a promise to him once, to find his memories, but realized some stones are best left unturned when the harsh truth came crashing down on her and even worse, on him. All for something he had never wanted.

Jet must have felt her watching because he glanced at her momentarily, with uncertainty, and then turned away all together to face the stony wall. He didn't snap at her like she would have expected. Evidently, something was weighing heavy on his mind. He had been acting different, consciously and apparently unconsciously, as she recalled that little encounter in _Caper's Gorge_, as it was called. Which got her to wondering…

She was startled from her dubious reflecting when he brushed passed her to lay down on the adjacent bed with a tiresome sigh.

"I was thinking," She started, still absently rubbing the old pistol that was so tarnished it didn't shine in the ocher light of the candle, "If the power ever comes back, I thought I'd call Catherine. I'm sure she's spoken to Clive"

"Sounds good," He replied in tedium with his head lowered so Virginia couldn't tell if his eyes were closed of he was just avoiding looking at hers.

Virginia sighed awkwardly, feeling this uneasiness to be redundant, yet unavoidable. She crawled to the farthest side of the bed and swung her feet over the side, to loosen and remove her boots then slip from the stifling lavender jacket. Jet watched her absently until he inwardly reprimanding himself as he laced his fingers behind his head and leaned against the wooden bed post. But she wasn't in his sight, she still invaded his thoughts. His moment of indiscretion had left him searching for solace for the rest of the day, but to no avail. He might as well have crawled back her.

Before he could stop himself, Jet was watching her again as she set a pistol next on a small table near her. Maybe he'd…just stop fighting for a while; it was the only thing that could make him tired.

Virginia turned, drawing her feet onto the bed and shifting backwards to lay her head back onto the headboard. Afar, was the window, suggesting a lovely outline in gentle light from outside. She tipped her back and caught the delicate silhouette of her face; her pointed nose and parted, perfect lips. Her chin dipped into the careful curve of her neck, flowing like music to the rise and fall of her chest. There was a vague suggestion of the bend in her legs, though smothered by the blanketing of her skirts. It was all just a little to perfect for Jet.

Could I?—he thought, watching her angelic form carefully—could I ask for anything more?

He had never let such unforgivable thoughts cross his mind, yet now they came so easily, so loud, he feared he might be saying it to her. And if I did, what would you say? I could see you, put-off, but still wondering with that same unspeakable need that I share. Is that wrong of me…? But have I thought of nothing else, nothing but you? Your body, your mouth, everything you are that I could never be or understand. You. So ready to face a vicious world and ready to suffer the consequences of failure.

I wonder, would you be so confident, so ready, if I reduced you to a body. To fight a battle, not with pistols, but with the passion and fire I know you possess. To be lost in a place no level of sanity or reason could intervene in what is so natural; all for endless search for that fleeting pleasure that is so degrading yet leaves you asking me for it. Demanding it of me.

Virginia sighed, bring him back to this quiet, empty world. Back to reality. She slid beneath the worn sheets, submitting to sleep. But Jet remained, unmoving, watching and only that.

I want to leave, to run; to never touch you. Yet I've tried, failing for the chance to linger in your presence a moment more. I'm tired. Tired of trying.

What have you done to me?

0—0—0

**TBC. PLEASE REVIEW**

** PLEASE NOTE:: I mentioned this on my profile, that this story might advance to an ****M rating****. So if you notice the fic has disappeared and it's not on your alert list then it's under the M category. I've been considering it for a while, for very many reasons. Just as a heads up, that might happen in the near future. Thanks.**


	9. An Old Memory

** Hi all. Thank you so so much for the reviews! **

_**Chapter 9 **_

_**An Old Memory**_

Two days passed by without much activity. This industrial little town of Laxisland went on as usual seeming blissfully unbothered by the worries of late. The day passed by in clockwork, albeit the bizarre changes in the hours. Virginia stood absentmindedly at the town's entrance. Staring into the distance where the sun overhead beat onto the wasteland and the desire to leave irked her. She wondered about her two missing friends and her family. It was useless to go but excruciating to stay.

Virginia considered their options; she and Jet could be confined here until a viable lead came their way. By now, even Jet's bold contention sounded good. Though she wasn't much of a risk taker, she was beginning to feel a bit stir crazy. So she considered Claiborne; Roykman had said it was in the opposite direction he had taken to get here. But what way did he take? And what is the opposite? No, that didn't seem reliable. They were lucky they hadn't been stranded in the first place, so leaving on that shaky information was suicide.

They could wait for the electricity to return so they could make a telephone call. But from the looks of it, it had long since been out.

"I'm sick of this place," Jet stated, startling her. As usual, he sounded rather perturbed, though he seemed genuine in this instance.

Virginia pursed her lips, unable to argue with that. The time spent together, parted from Clive and Gallows, had yielded little effort to fill the space between them. Though the mere fact that he had agreed to wait here with her this long was a step, she believed. The Jet she had met on that train so long ago would have let her fall down that canyon without a second thought.

"There's someplace I wanna check out," He added in a milder tone.

She turned to face him and noticed he was dressed as usual with his ARM in one hand, as if he was already prepared to leave. He was staring into the distance as she had been, seeming to be only partly there.

"What?"

Jet considered it for a long moment, then replied, "The Leyline Observatory, I want to know what that guy was there for"

Virginia recalled the young man they had met in the _Capers' Gorge_, as it was called. Lechek, the kind man who had told them he was conducting research to bring back to the Ark of Destiny. Virginia hadn't even thought of him since arriving in Laxisland, though Jet remained suspicious of him.

"Hmm? But didn't he say he never made it to the Observatory?" She asked, "Besides, we can't just venture into the wasteland aimlessly"

"I didn't say anything about you," Jet replied, already heading out of the town's gateway.

"Hey, wait!" Virginia shouted, grasping his arm and forcing him to turn and look at her, "What's the matter with you? You can't go alone!"

"What are you talking about?" He replied snappishly, looking down at her from the corner of his eye, "I've been alone for as I can remember; moreover, I'm not as fragile as a human, the wasteland can't harm me so easily"

Defeated, Virginia let her hands fall slowly to her sides as she peered down at the dusty ground at her feet, "B-but, why…?"

Jet had already taken several steps away from her and without stopping he said over his shoulder, "Just stay here, I'll be back"

…Will you?

Virginia stood for a long moment, listening to his fading footsteps. She was still staring at the ground, feeling as if two ropes were bound around her heart; one tied to this little town, to stay here as he ordered. And the other…

Night came swiftly over the wasteland. He was pleased with this silence; no one was there to weigh him down. Finally, even for a moment, he felt the proverbial chains she had wrapped around him were loosening.

Jet had learned how to completely drown himself into his thoughts while traveling. It was as if he would fall asleep and awake in whatever new and different place his feet could take him. But he wasn't just wandering this night and using the small information that merchant had given, he had found himself standing outside the damaged fencing of the Leyline Observatory. The tall, weathered building stood like a menacing shadow below the night sky. His feet were planted on the ground outside that place and for a second, Jet regretted ever returning here. But he felt it was a place he had to confront; to remember things that were probably best left forgotten.

With a clenched fist, he reached for the rusted handle of the door. Its sickening creak as it opened sounded as if it would fall from its hinges at any moment. The dark lobby was eerily silent, but it was the silence that screamed sorrow. The wide room was the same as it had been the last time they had been there; there were reception desks on either side of the far end of the room and in between them was a dark hallway.

The halls were as black as night, but his eyes adjusted quickly and he could see the vague shapes of open doorways and broken computer monitors. Jet pressed one hand onto the wall next to him, feeling the cold, rough texture of the metal. If life flourished here, it had long since faded away. Walking forward, he tried to imagine this place while it was in use, before it became rust and broken, abandoned technology. He imagined the seven individuals in Virginia's torn picture; the only record of his "father", taken only in a second in time. A man who had lost his son and with pain so tremendous, he resorted to using his knowledge to create a surrogate, a fake. Him.

Shaking his head, Jet stepped onto the lift and with seemingly ancient life; it grumbled and slowly scaled the building to the next several floors. Standing motionless, pacified by the gentle rocking of the platform, Jet was glad he would never be able to meet this man.

The large doors of the lift opened and Jet emerged onto the highest level of the observatory. Looking around, or attempting to, he could see the dim lights of the computers, the power connected directly to the planets life lines.

"Hmph," Jet scoffed. It sounded like a bunch of children playing scientist, finding useless information that would do nothing in saving the planet. Pretending what happened here made a difference. As far as he was concerned, everything they did was for nothing.

Advancing, he found himself in the lab where four large capsules stood, two on each side of the room; each of them casted a dull, blue light in the dark room. Jet felt a shiver run down his back as he wondered about the life that had been born in these…things. His eyes transfixed on one in particular, where stains of some unknown liquid were dried at the bottom of the capsule.

Then, reluctant at first, Jet pressed his hand against the cool glass. And it was just that simple.

_Sleepy, he was peering from the inside out. The light outside was bright, blinding to his newly opened eyes. He felt weightless and the hands and feet of this foreign body moved violently without his permission, smacking against the glass. Tubes and artificial life lines surrounded him in this manmade womb, he tugged at them uneasily. An older man was standing outside the glass, smiling. _

_ "My son," The man mouthed clearly as he, an artificial being, absorbed this new world, "Adam" _

With a gasp,Jet fell back against the capsule behind him, wide-eyed and breathing heavily. His ARM clattered onto the ground, breaking the silence. Gazing at the empty capsule, the memory rewinding and replaying endlessly in his head, he could feel, after each passing moment, himself growing angrier; angry with this man for dragging him into this unwanted life because of his own inability to accept the loss of his son.

"I…am not…" Jet rose and approached the capsule, "your son!"

With a raised fist, Jet struck the glass hard. The one side was streaked with rigid cracks, but it wasn't enough to appease him. Hatred sent unrelenting tremors across his body. Grinding his teeth and with shaking fists, he had never been so livid.

Suddenly, a scream ripped through the halls, shattering his anger. He turned, stunned by the familiar sound.

"You idiot!" He shouted, crossing the room to retrieve his ARM and exiting the room.

Minutes before, Virginia had entered the Leyline Observatory. She had followed Jet ever since he had left Laxisland, keeping far enough away to only vaguely see him. She knew he would give her a scathing lecture if he caught her, but she was unwilling to let him come to this place alone. Upon entering, she couldn't see nor hear Jet any longer. But she could hear the distant rumbling of the lift. Cautious, she stepped carefully into the adjacent room on the first floor.

Virginia recognized the large, white rectangular shape on the wall to be the dry erase board. She could also see the black shapes that were the lockers and the table in the center of the room. She imagined the seven members, her father included, gathering here to discuss their research. This place, the place where her father had spent his "other life"; he did great work here, but she still couldn't forgive him for leaving her so suddenly.

Walking towards the center of the room, the young leader noticed something white sitting on the table. It appeared to be a photograph, though she could only see it because of the white trimming. She found it odd; she certainly hadn't seen it here the last time they had visited the observatory. Tentatively, she picked it and tried to study it, but it was too dark to see.

Then, what felt like fingers, reached out and pressed against the back of her neck. She couldn't restrain a horrific scream. Praying it was Jet, she spun quickly; ready to face whoever or whatever had come for her.

Nothing was there, just the large white board.

Virginia felt a cold sweat cover her body. She couldn't have imagined that, no, she felt fingers touch her neck. She was on the ground now, with her back pressed to one of the old chairs and the photo was clenched in her hand.

After a long silent moment, she heard a shout that almost had her jumping out her skin again.

"Hey!" Jet shouted, passing by the first door to the room, "Virginia!"

Virginia calmed herself, relieved to hear him saying her name even if it was out of spite.

"I'm right here," She said, hearing him almost pass by the second door where his footsteps halted, "I'm fine"

Jet appeared next to her, kneeling and his softly glowing eyes were chilling. Vaguely, she could see the cross expression on his face and she couldn't have been happier to see it.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" He snapped, "I told you to stay away from here!"

"I…I know, I'm sorry," She replied with a shaken smile, "I just… wanted to stay with you"

Relieved that it was dark, she was glad Jet couldn't see the blush on her face that she could feel painting her cheeks.

"…" He seemed taken aback, but he recovered quickly by saying as he stood, "R-Ridiculous. Anyway, what did you scream for?"

Standing, Virginia brushed her lavender skirts off with her free hand, "Oh…" She didn't want to tell him. Jet wouldn't believe her. She had been causing him a lot of trouble lately anyhow.

"It's nothing," She replied evasively, "I heard a noise, but it must have been the building settling. I'm sorry"

"Tch. Figures"

"Did you find what you came for…?"

Jet didn't reply to that and she could since him slinking away a step or two.

"Nevermind, lets just go"

Virginia bit her lip in regret for asking as her grasp tightened around the photo in her hand. Oh. She had almost forgotten about it.

"I found something," She said abruptly.

"Wha—Ah! Hey!" Jet shouted in objection when she took his hand and dragged him into the hall and towards a nearby lab. The monitors on the wall casted a dim, amber light onto the floor and she held the photograph up to get a better view. After a moment of squinting, she felt a pang in her chest as the image on the old paper became clear.

"Hmm?" Jet inquired, noticing her expression in the dramatic light, "What is it?"

Virginia turned her head slowly to look at him; she looked as if she had seen a phantom.

"This…This can't be"

"What?"

Stunned, she gave the photograph to Jet and it didn't take much lighting for him to see the figure in the photograph. It was young boy, maybe seven or eight, with cropped red hair and green eyes. Jet knew this child, at the age he would have been today. This boy had helped them escape the ravine, told them he was on his way to the observatory, and that he was a currently member of the Ark of Destiny. But that was simply _impossible_. At the bottom of the photograph, in careful handwriting, it read:

_R.I.P Adam Kadmon _

_0—0—0 _

_**TBC Please review~~**_


	10. Trouble in Eden

**Chapter 10**

**Trouble in Eden **

It was quiet. The memory of the empty silence of this place had faded away with all the others, until now. Or maybe it hadn't been this dead; the solitude now was new, in fact, it was liberating. Jet remembered this place when it was alive, when the wide computer screens were brimming with data. When the floor was glossy and the books were new and neatly bound. He remembered the rhythmic sound of polished shoes padding the floor and the smell of the sterile environment.

Jet was seated against the wall in the main foyer of the Observatory waiting for the sun to rise in an hour or so. If it were just him, he would have left hours ago, albeit he wouldn't be here in the first place. But he could tell tire was weighing heavily on Virginia, so he relented and waited patiently as she slept soundly against his right shoulder. He listened every few seconds when she would take a breath and another second when she would let it go. Silently, for hours, he counted each serene breath. And every now and then she would sigh into his ear, absently reminding him of her presence.

Saying this pleased him would be an outright lie. It only reminded him of what he wanted to avoid; being depended on by another, being tied down by someone else's troubles. It stunned him how easily she had done it. But she was relentless; impossible to dissuade and easily persuasive to others. So damned naïve, so blind to her own limitations. Very little negativity would break the skin and when it did, she would pick herself up and it would have only been a second in time.

After a moment, he noticed a distinct difference in her breathing and said, "Finally"

"I wish my father were here," Virginia said arbitrarily as if she had been a awake for some time thinking about it, "He would know how to explain this…"

She must have been referring to the photograph they had found earlier and frankly Jet had no interest in the subject. He had asked many a time about who or what he was and found only a chilling truth and now it lead him to even more question. No, he'd had enough.

Virginia still had her head against his shoulder as she went on, "I wonder what the Ark of Destiny will have to say; Lechek—or Adam—did say he was working for them. We should look into that"

Relentless, as usual.

"How did that picture get here anyway? I don't remember seeing it, do you?"

"It doesn't matter"

"What?"

"I don't care," that was what he meant to say.

She sat up, probably to give him a reproachful scowl and he took the opportunity to stalk halfway towards the exit. Persistent as ever, Virginia was on her feet, rested and ready to argue with him.

"And here I thought you would be glad to find you weren't just some carbon copy!"

"Why? How would that change anything?"

She opened her mouth as if to counter with a grand argument, but no words came. Sighing, just as she did in her sleep, she added woefully, "I…I don't know, maybe you have a greater purpose than just being a replacement"

Jet turned to her suddenly, ready to snap at her like he usually would have but there she stood, wide-eyed and involved. After a long moment of intense staring, a smile formed on her face and she laughed.

"Your eyes are so bright," Virginia said, "They glow"

"I'm an easy target"

Still smiling, she said, "I don't think so, they're hypnotic"

"That's ridiculous"

Jet remained silent, staring at the rusted wall next to him. Clasping her hands behind her back, she leaned towards him and added playfully, "What are you thinking?"

The sun had peeked over the distant horizon and casted a red glow in through the half open door. Radiant streaks of light fell on the young leader's face, bending smoothly over the bridge of her nose, vaguely illuminating her features. Jet admired her calculating, azure eyes as an anxious expression slowly formed on her face.

"Nothing," he replied finally blankly, facing the exit, "let's just leave"

It's all lighthearted play for you, he thought.

"Maybe we should go back to Laxisland," She said with tangible disgust, "or maybe we should take a chance and head elsewhere?"

Stepping into the light of a new day, the duo studied the empty horizon. A sign was half hanging from the fence post; it read "Danger. Proceed with Caution". Of what? Nothingness? Uncertainty? A single crow soared overhead, heading east.

"He's going east," Virginia indicated the bird with an exaggerated finger, "I say we follow"

"That sounds desperate"

Following the ascending sun, they headed eastward in the unsound hopes of finding a waypoint in this twisted world. It was a frightening thought to accept that one may never see the faces of dear ones again. Perhaps they were dead, victims of a crumbling planet. However, one could only press forward and wonder.

With the emerging sun, the horizon blurred and danced, fooling the eyes. The blank slate of a desert offered no refuge. It must have been around midday when Jet felt the journey dragging. Virginia was several steps behind him, fatigued and unable to keep pace with him. Slumped forward, she was evidently miserable. With glassy eyes fixed on the ground she bumped into him, throwing her from her stupor. Sun-sickened, she placed a hand on his shoulder as if to remind herself that he was real.

"Oh, sorry," She said as she absently rubbed her forehead.

"You don't look so good," Jet stated.

Appearing as if she would swoon, Virginia clutched his scarves, "Do you…think it's hotter than usual? I don't remember it being…" Her face turned pale and she slumped against him, both hands squeezing the red and white fabric.

"Damn it," Jet snapped, shaking her, "Hey!"

No good. If he didn't find water soon, very soon, it would certainly be her demise. He couldn't let that happen. Laying his ARM on the ground, he knelt and pulled her flaccid form unto his back. Retrieving the weapon, he proceeded onward. It was rare that he felt fatigue; it was something he had been specifically made to resist. Slouched forward to support Virginia and with the scorching sun beating down on them, it was taxing even on him. She was in danger; if something were to happen to her now, Jet couldn't help but blame himself.

Minutes passed solemnly, giving way to an hour two, he had lost track of the time. Eye fixed on the ground, he did realize the truth in what she had said; it was hotter, much hotter. The ground was dried and cracked in many thousands of jagged plates. The sun had stolen whatever little moisture had remained in the desiccated ground.

A bead of sweat trickled down the side of his temple. It was noticeably true, another one of the inexplicable phenomena occurring. The warped landscape, the time, the heat—and from what he gathered in Laxisland, the citizens wedged in their sorry little towns hadn't even taken a particular notice. Not surprising, the planet always seemed to be on the brink of catastrophe and they could never see beyond the rickety fences around their own shambled lives. The unknown was blissful. However, as a drifter, it was a world Jet couldn't see and probably never would.

With the sun descending its arch over the world, Jet was beginning feel hopeless. If there was a safe haven lying before them, they may never reach it in time. With eyes shut, he couldn't see he path before him, seeming as if he didn't expect anything promising.

He took another aimless step, and another. And something coarse and spongy replaced the stony earth under his feet. Forcing his aching eyes open, he was stunned.

Grass—green and lively. It was sparse here, but as he peered up towards the distance, it thickened. Whats more, trees, at least seven that he could see. Tall and full of life, they grew sporadically across the green expanse that was at least 100 feet wide. At the oasis' center sat a modest cottage that was tightly bounded by an aged fence.

It was remarkable, even Jet couldn't hide his surprise. It was Florina's garden, which should been be hidden in a tall cliff northeast of the Midland Station. However, it was not surprise that even the little Eden had been affected by all that was happening. But, how could their happening upon this place be a coincidence? Perhaps it was, but the unyielding question that something else had been at work here irked Jet.

Remembering the inert form draped over him, Jet proceeded hurriedly towards a small pond near the house. Kneeling, he let Virginia onto the ground; still she was unconscious and dehydrated, but alive nonetheless. Removing his black glove, Jet dipped his hand into the cool water before gently patting her forehead. He repeated the process several times.

With the squeak of an aged door, a young girl emerged from the house. It was Florina, staring in passive speculation with one hand cupped over her mouth. Approaching, her wide and sheepish eyes studied them both in silence then her gaze settled on Jet.

"You, how did you get here?" Jet inquired in a severe tone.

She stared for a long moment before shaking her head.

Remembering the berries she had given him once, Jet added, "Do you have any food?"

Florina stood as if in thought for a while. Then she nodded modestly before turning and disappearing on the other side of the cottage. Jet studied the trees and the fence-line, birds were perched here and there. The crow was among them; settle in one of the trees on the far side of the pond. A cat was settled at the base of the tree, engrossed in its quest to capture one of the birds.

Many flowers of all hues surrounded them, swaying lazily in a gentle breeze. It was a small, if not the only, Eden on Filgaia.

Virginia stirred, throwing her head from side to side for a moment before her eyes finally opened. Lying still, she stared blankly upwards at the canopy of trees above.

Finally, she said, "Have I died?"

Jet almost laughed, "You would have"

Sitting up, Virginia studied her surrounding, unmoved at first then growing blatantly shaken, "Where are we? How did…"

Florina reappeared with an armful of assorted fruit which she knelt and spread out onto the grass. She picked up a simple blue colored berry and offered it to Jet, who crassly declined.

"Florina? How did you get here?" Virginia asked while choosing a berry at random, feeling a sharp pang of hunger in her stomach.

"…I don't know," The girl quietly replied, regarding them with concerned, green eyes, "I woke this morning and I was here"

"I see…" Virginia trailed off as she reached for another piece of fruit.

"It's so hot," Florina went on to say, specifically to Jet. Seating herself next to him, she added, "It's so hot, the flowers are trying to sing, but they're crying. You can't see it, but that's what they told me"

"Not this again…" Jet stated grimly, leaning away from her, but she remained undeterred.

"The land has no water, the flowers are thirsty. If it doesn't rain, I'm afraid they will die," Florina concluded, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Poised to slap her hand away, Jet glanced at Virginia, who had an odd expression of distaste on her face for whatever reason. Perhaps the fruit was sour. But her eyes were fixed on the scene before her.

"…Well, ah, Florina," Virginia replied finally, getting the girl's attention, "We aren't really sure what's on ourselves either…A lot of things have been happening lately"

"Oh," Florina grimaced before looking to Jet again, "Time is running out…"

"Can't you just use the water from the pond?" Virginia suggested, trying to be helpful.

"It's drying up," Florina replied, not even looking at her this time.

Jet, still leaning away from the girl, gave her a harsh gaze as he tried to hold his tongue lest he would get smacked again like the first time they had made a deal with Florina. Obviously, the girl wasn't as sheepish as the first impression of her made her to be. Virginia stood suddenly and brushed off her skirt.

"We'd help, but there isn't really anything we can do for you right now"

Retrieving his glove, Jet rose as well and brushed past the girl as if she hadn't been there. Virginia thanked her and turned to leave with Jet in tow. Florina, if only out of desperation, clasped both hands around Jet's arm and said, "Please, you helped me once and I thank you, the flowers thank you. I don't know what to do…"

About to shake from her touch, Jet turned and studied her face. Anxiety was palpable in her eyes; she was desperate to protect this little Eden. And perhaps that is why it thrived—she cared. If only everyone did the same, perhaps the world in its entirety would be lush with life.

After a long moment, Jet sighed in exasperation. This life as a humanitarian was getting old.

"I'll do what I can," He said, "I'll try"

A small smile appeared on Florina's face and she clasped one bashful hand over her mouth, "Thank you…" She reached into the brown, leather bacg that was hanging from her shoulder and revealed several plump berried, offering them to him.

Sighing again, Jet took them, "I'm not making any promises though"

Still heading eastward, the sun was descending and the day had cooled considerably. With the garden at they're backs, Jet and Virginia faced wasteland once more. Jet gently placed the berries in the pocket of his faded jeans, reminding himself to not smash them. His leader was several feet in front of him, pressing on.

"Do you plan on fainting on me again?" Jet finally said and meaning it quite literally.

No response. Certainly she was angry about something, though he couldn't imagine what. Having to cross the wasteland again or their predicament all together perhaps? No matter, Jet couldn't be bothered.

A minute passed, then another. Finally, she stopped then turned to glare at him.

"…What?" Jet inquired, scowling.

"Where do you get off making a promise like that?" Virginia demanded.

"I said I didn't make a promise"

"You know what I mean, that was just false hope," Virginia snapped, crossing her arms.

"And?" Jet raised a brow, "Hope is hope; she'll figure it out on her own"

She scowled at him for a long moment but eventually, her glare softened. Her gaze lowered to the ground and she said, "I'm sorry…" It seemed she was fighting with her own thoughts.

Jet studied her face before replying, "Whatever. It doesn't matter, let's just keep going"

Virginia turned, still with a dismal expression and took several steps forward, towards the darkening horizon.

_0—0—0 _

**Sorry, I had to end it there. I'm tired. I promise, something more interesting will happening next time :) TBC**


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